100 Rainier Moments

The possibilities are seemingly endless… Mt. Rainier offers experiences for the young and the young at heart. It yields expansive vistas of alpine meadows and up-close moments in temperate rain forests. Hike in the summer sun or snowshoe in a winter wonderland. See the mountain from the car or set out on foot into the backcountry. Depending on when you visit and where you travel around the mountain, your visit is sure to be unique. Where to start? What to do? Here are 100 Rainier moments waiting to be experienced.  And you can believe this is only a snapshot of the possibilities…

---

 

1. Spot a marmot
2. Take 5 wildflower photos
3. Go snowshoeing
4. Rent cross country skis
5. Find 3 lakes that reflect Mt. Rainier
6. Discover 5 waterfalls
7. Check out the 100-year-old-weather station on the Nisqually Vista Trail
8. Eat blackberry pie at Copper Creek Inn
9. Play cards at Paradise Inn
10. Take a fall color drive 
11. Go for a train ride
12. Visit Recycled Spirits of Iron
13. Go horseback riding at Crystal Mountain
14. Ride the Mt. Rainier Gondola at Crystal Mountain
15. Enjoy a brew at Snorting Elk Cellar
16. Pick huckleberries
17. Gather mushrooms in the forest
18. Spot a fox
19. See elk grazing in the wild
20. See bison at Northwest Trek
21. Hike a portion of the Wonderland Trail
22. Circle Tipsoo Lake
23. Wander the Westside Road
24. Find a geocache on the Centennial GeoTour
25. Watch the featured movie at Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center
26. Find climbers on route to the summit from the Sunrise telescope
27. Discover frogs at Shadow Lake
28. Play in the water fountains at Mud Mountain Dam
29. Learn about early explorers at Longmire Museum
30. Find the hot springs at Longmire
31. Take the Trail of the Shadows nature walk
32. Walk the suspension bridge at Grove of the Patriarchs
33. Bike the Carbon River Road
34. Cross the Nisqually River near Cougar Rock
35. Wine walk through downtown Enumclaw
36. Have an ice cream cone at Sunrise Day Lodge
37. Read a story by the fireplace at Paradise Inn
38. Enjoy a campfire in the evening
39. See sunrise at Sunrise Point
40. Drink hot chocolate on the veranda at National Park Inn
41. See one of the two homesteads in Carbonado
42. Fish for your dinner at Alexanders Lodge
43. Walk across the historic arch at Chinook Pass
44. Go sledding at Paradise’s Snowplay Area
45. Zipline at Northwest Trek
46. Take a selfie with the mountain
47. Go camping
48. Take a 4th grader to get their free National Park Pass
49. Take your dog for a free ride on the gondola at Crystal Mountain Resort
50. Discover picture-perfect Myrtle Falls
51. Photograph fall color hot spots 
52. Visit a fire lookout
53. Hike the Naches Loop trail in reverse
54. Bike ride Skookum Flats
55. Act like a pioneer at Pioneer Farms
56. See a frozen waterfall
57. Photograph the 12 Photo Hot Spots
58. Have a picnic in the park
59. Discover Kids’ Trek at Northwest Trek
60. Stay overnight in a historic lodge
61. Eat traditional Nepali food prepared by a Sherpa family at Wildberry
62. See the wildflowers on Mazama Ridge
63. Play dominoes at Paradise Inn
64. Solve a puzzle in the fireplace room at National Park Inn
65. Let the kids “blow off steam” at the Ashford County Park
66. Climb the rock wall at Whittaker Mountaineering
67. Play disc golf at Crystal Mountain
68. See the little white Church in Elbe
69. Find the best collection of train souvenirs in the state at Mt. Rainier Railroad in Elbe
70. Visit Mineral Lake, the gem of the Pacific Northwest
71. Go boating at Alder Lake
72. Catch a 10 lb. trout in Mineral Lake
73. Take the Legacy Walking Tour in Enumclaw
74. Buy a hand-crafted hat at Wapiti Woolies
75. See an authentic sandstone-built schoolhouse in Wilkeson
76. Explore the temperate rainforest in the Carbon River area
77. Take a selfie with an old-growth Douglas fir tree
78. Take your kids to the Ohanapecosh Visitor Center
79. View the lupine in the wildflower meadows of Sunrise
80. Take a ranger-led snowshoe trip
81. Enjoy a ranger-led interpretive talk
82. Learn the history of Mt. Rainier National Park at the Sunrise Visitor Center
83. See 5 volcanoes from Sunrise Point
84. Drive the nationally designated Chinook Scenic Byway
85. Go glamping
86. Have dinner at the highest elevation restaurant in Washington State
87. Find the year your grandparents were born on the 8 ft. diameter Douglas fir cross-section at Longmire
88. Drive to the highest point accessible by car in the Northwest
89. Admire Narada Falls
90. Help your kid learn about Mt. Rainier at the new displays at Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center
91. Have a picnic lunch along the Silver Falls Trail
92. Have Sunday brunch at Paradise Inn
93. Host your family reunion at historic Copper Creek Lodge
94. Go skiing or snowboarding at Crystal Mountain
95. Indulge yourself at a spa
96. Take a tram ride at Northwest Trek
97. Spend the night in a cozy cabin
98. Enjoy a local festival at the Enumclaw Expo Center
99. Discover hand-crafted and locally sourced art
100. Take the Circle Rainier drive tour