We simply cannot get away from snow. I’m not sure that Jan is trying that hard, but snow in June was not in my plans. Somehow we ended up thwarted by snow and playing on top of it the same day. How, you ask?
Well, Jan had a client engagement in Morton, Washington, which is not that far from some stunning points of interest: Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Mt. Saint Helens Volcanic Monument, and Mt. Rainier National Park. To take advantage of the scenery, we drove down a day early to check things out.
Mount St. Helens was closest to where we were staying, so we headed that direction. However, we didn’t realize the Windy Ridge route was still closed due to snow as it’s usually open by the end of May. To be fair, the road closures were marked back in Randle, but we didn’t pay attention.
We curlicued our way through some verdant national forest, turned around at the warning sign, and then stopped off at a little trail for Iron Creek. Thankfully, the trail for Iron Creek Falls was both short and deserted. We spent some time climbing over logs down to the banks and scouting out the area. There’s nothing quite like having a national forest all to yourself.
We eventually found ourselves back in Randle, scouting out the pie and pass opening information courtesy of the Mount Adams Cafe. The information, it is to be noted, was better than the pie and sadly under-seasoned tator tots. We piled back into the car and headed up US-12 to the park.
I’d like to throw in a word about National Park passes. It’s best to research in advance the type of pass you’d like. For example, the vehicle passes to Mt. Rainier National Park are $30 per car, whereas the America the Beautiful pass is $80. If you plan to visit more than one park a year, then the annual pass is likely the better deal. The lifetime pass (if you’re eligible) is an amazing bargain, as are the passes for military members, the disabled, and kids 10 and under. However, the time to figure it out is not at the gate with a busy park ranger. Just sayin’.
Regardless of what you have to pay to get into Mt. Rainier National Park, do it. I’ve been to many national parks, and this is, by far, the most gorgeous place I’ve yet to see. Endless forests, splendid mountains, crystal-clear lakes, and of course, Mt. Rainier itself.
If I lived in this area, I’d be here all the time.
It took us forever to get to the Paradise Jackson Visitors Center because we kept stopping at every pull out to take pictures of something stunning. A thirty minute journey took over two hours because nature would not stop being so beautiful.
We kept going up and up, and eventually pulled into the parking lot at the base of the mountain.
Paradise has a charming alpine lodge set near the Visitors Center. The lodge is surprisingly affordable given the setting ($205/night/2 ppl) if you can snag a room. The Visitors Center is done in the style of a ski lodge with a gift shop, restaurant, and alpine exhibit.
The real draw is the proximity to Mt. Rainier. The parking lot is the jumping off point to climb the glacier up to the summit, so the trail head was swarmed with people gearing up to make the journey. Or perhaps they were done for the day, it was unclear.
I had on sneakers instead of crampons, so my time on the glacier was not as meaningful as it was for some…
A little bit of hiking, a lot of scenery, and a chance to finally see one of the best national parks in the country. It was a good day even if there was snow.
Stunning is the word for it. All of it. With the exception of the snow everywhere, I think this exploration has been fantastic. Really appreciate being along for the ride.
I was thinking how much you’d enjoy it. You can see a great deal of the park from the car, so there’s that.