Top 5 beginner hikes in Mt Rainier national park

The mountain that looms over Seattle and has captured my heart since I moved to the pacific northwest 3 years ago, Mt Rainier. You’ll hear this from me and countless other Washingtonians, the mountain never fails to elicit a gasp of surprise and awe no matter how many times you’ve seen it before. I’ve now become used to driving around Seattle in summer, turning around a corner only to see Rainier peeking out from between a gap in the buildings, only for it to disappear two blocks later. Believe it or not, I didn’t actually go to Rainier National Park to hike until this summer. Now that I’ve been, it’s been a love affair that might last forever. 

This post is by no means a comprehensive guide to all the hikes in Mt Rainier National Park. However if you are looking to start, start here. I’ll talk about the few most popular trails, what you can see from those, important resources and when to go! I intend to keep updating this post with more hikes as the summer progresses!

Read other hiking stories: Two Hikes And 15 Pushups Later…

Two weeks since my last post about pushups and headstands, spring in Seattle is still like that grumpy middle schooler who can’t make up their mind about going to summer camp. By that, I mean that after a short stretch of sunny days, we are firmly back to gloomy and grey. But my heart is […]

WHERE TO HIKE

Sunrise Visitor Center – At 6,400 ft, this is the highest point that can be reached by a vehicle at Mount Rainier National Park. There is a day lodge which sells food and a gift shop, but no overnight stays. Sunrise is a great place to start because there are lots of trails in the same area and many of them share sections. This means, you can plan for a small hike, find you have the energy to push further and just extend your hike. Conversely, if you plan for a big hike and find you’re tired or the weather is sketchy, you can simply do one of the smaller ones! And the best part is, no matter how little or big hike you do, the views are going to be magnificent. Err…take that with a pinch of salt, Rainier is a notoriously shy mountain and cloud movement is very difficult to predict. 

Fremont Fire Lookout 

Distance – 5.6 MI RT (Although my fitbit clocked it at 6.5)

Elevation – 1200 FT

This one is a lovely trail that goes along the Sourdough Trail, passing by Frozen Lake before climbing uphill to the fire lookout. Most of the trail is along the side of the mountain, which means the edge falls away sharply to your left while you climb uphill, but it also means you’ll do the entire hike with the front row view of Mount Rainier and the Three Burroughs. Poles are helpful along the slightly steeper sections but not absolutely needed. You can hang out at the fire lookout during the day however it’s locked up for the night, since no overnight stays are permitted. Unfortunately I did this hike at Sunset and reached after it was fully dark so I never managed to get good pictures of the lookout itself. But definitely captured some magnificent shots of Mt Rainier at sunset. 

Sourdough Ridge

Distance – 2.5 MI RT 

Elevation – 400 FT

I consider Sourdough Ridge Trail as the freeway of trails, with various intersections leading off to different destinations. I’ve traversed part of it while heading to Dege Peak and a part of it, while heading to the Fremont fire lookout. From the parking lot, head up the trail up a set of wide stairs all the way to a T junction. This is the Sourdough trail heading to Dege to the right and Frozen Lake to the left. To the front lies Huckleberry valley dotted with little lakes and picturesque streams, a mighty candidate for some great pictures (if you can take your eyes off of Rainier behind you!)

Sunrise Nature Trail 

Distance – 1.5MI RT 

Elevation – 400 FT

This one is a beautiful stroll through wildflower meadows with sweeping views of Rainier to the side. This is a triangular loop with a little section along Sourdough Ridge Trail. It lets you take a peek at Huckleberry Valley as well as awarding you with those magnificent Rainier views. Perfect for when you want to go for a chill, easy stroll in the mountains. 

Dege Peak

Distance – 4MI RT 

Elevation – 600 FT

Dege (DE-GAY) Peak is a great place to have a picnic while enjoying some fantastic views. The trail is sort of an extension of the Sunrise Nature Trail’s right arm, with a bit of a steep climb along the last 0.2 miles of it. You’d get a clear view of Huckleberry Valley, Clover Lake on one side and Sunrise Valley and of course, Rainier to the other side. 

Tolmie Peak Fire Lookout and Eunice Lake

Distance – 7.5MI RT 

Elevation – 1100 FT

This hike doesn’t take you quite as close to Mt Rainier as Sunrise, however, Tolmie Peak seems even more remote and rugged with relatively less effort. From the top you can look straight ahead to Mt Rainier as well as to the picture-perfect Lake Eunice below. The trail starts off with a little bit of elevation loss but then gradually gains elevation, finally coming out to Eunice Lake, a perfectly good spot to take a break and have a snack. 

Continue on for a steep mile to the fire look for the grand views, as well as an option to scramble onwards to the neighboring peaks. The lookout can be quite chilly and windy so bring a windproof jacket and keep an eye out for mountain goats and deer! Note that the trail officially ends at the fire lookout and scrambling past the lookout is not recommended unless you have experience and the right gear.  

WHEN TO GO

Mount Rainier National Park is open all round the year but Sunrise is closed during winter. The most popular time to visit is July through September, since it’s hard to beat the meadows and wildflowers, but that means it can get really crowded. It’s not just a lack of parking space but wait times to enter the national park can be over 2 hours long! My biggest pet peeve while going outdoors is crowds and bad parking (unusual, I know!) and I do go to extreme lengths to avoid it. Which means, my favorite time to visit is either super early in the morning or a late evening hike. I’ve gotten up at 3 AM at night to arrive at trailheads at daybreak and I’ve also started hikes a couple of hours before sunset so I can skip most of the heat and the crowds. This year, the hikes that I’ve done at Rainier have all been sunset hikes. It takes me about 2.5 hrs to drive from Seattle to Sunrise Visitor Center so I can comfortably leave after work, do a moderately sized hike and come back just past midnight. Plus, I’ve gotten to see Rainier bathed in the orange glow of sunset which is a significant plus!

TRAIL ETIQUETTE 

I always like to talk a little about trail etiquette, since there are always folks who are new to hiking and as a part of this community, it is our responsibility to preserve the wonderful places we visit by educating others and minimizing human impact on the outdoors. 

1. Please practice the Leave-No-Trace principles and always remember to pack out all your trash.
2. Uphill hikers have right of way, unless they want to take a break and ask the downhill folks to pass. 
3. Please be considerate of other hikers. If there is a cramped viewpoint at the top, don’t hog all the space. Enjoy it for a few minutes and let others get the opportunity to take in the views and some insta worthy pictures. Also, (this is a personal pet peeve) please avoid unnecessary yelling on the trail or playing music on speakers. If you must have music, use earphones! 
4. And if you’re hiking in the middle of a pandemic, practice social distancing as much as possible and mask up while passing other hikers in close proximity!

EXTRA RESOURCES

THINGS TO PACK 

My go to guide is always the 10 Essentials as listed by REI. I always keep them in the car and depending on the distance or intensity of the hike, update the gear accordingly. For example, for a simple 1-2 mile hike with plenty of people on the trail, I probably won’t carry a fire starter kit, but definitely for longer hikes over 6-7 miles and up, I’d make sure I carry some version of all 10 essentials at minimum. 

PERMIT

You will need a Mount Rainier Pass when you visit. You can get an annual pass or a single vehicle pass valid for a week. Typically, you can pay and obtain your pass at the entrance but if you’re visiting after hours, you’d have to purchase it online and print it. I always like to purchase my passes online to save time at entry. 

OTHER HIKES AT MOUNT RAINIER NP

There are loads of other hikes you can do at Mount Rainier, and this is my go to resource! 

HIKING INFO AND FORUMS 

Always check trail conditions before hiking. Roads and trailheads are often closed due to bad weather and/or maintenance, and the updated information can be found here. 

I also really like reading to read the latest trip reports to check out trail and access conditions at the WTA pages. 

Hopefully, you found some useful information here. I’ll be sure to write sequels to this post while I continue hiking around Mt Rainier, and to make sure you don’t miss any of that, subscribe, share and check out my instagram here!