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 Untitled design
  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 TrekUntitled design (1)
  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 LongmireUntitled design
  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 InnUntitled design (1)
  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 FallsUntitled design (2)
  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 lodgeUntitled design
  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 NorthwestUntitled design (4)
  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 tripUntitled design (3)
  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 CenterUntitled design (2)
  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 tourUntitled design (1)