Mount Rainer's wildflowers are famous, but there's a lot more to the iconic active volcano
Eve Chen
You don’t have to step foot on Mount Rainier to see that it’s special.
The 14,410-foot-tall, snow-capped mountain inspires even from miles away, but nothing compares to experiencing it up close.
“Mount Rainier National Park offers some of the most beautiful scenery and amazing recreational experiences certainly, in my opinion, in this part of the country and amongst the entire national park system,” said park ranger Terry Wildly.
Here’s what travelers should know about visiting Mount Rainier National Park in Washington, especially as reservation requirements begin this summer.
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What's so special about Mount Rainier?
Mount Rainier is an active volcano.
With 28 major glaciers, it’s also the “most glaciated peak” in the contiguous U.S. and the tallest peak in the Cascade Range, according to the park.
It’s also a beloved landmark for many people around Seattle and beyond.
“There's a saying in the local area: Is the mountain out? And what that means is can you see Mount Rainier from where you’re at?” explained Wildly. “They don't even have to be in the park to have a connection to it.”
When did Rainier last erupt?
“Mount Rainier has not produced a significant eruption in the past 500 years,” according to the United States Geological Survey.
With all the sensors the National Park Service and USGS have in place, Wildly said visitors don’t need to worry about eruptions because warning signs would come days, weeks or even months in advance. Visitors should, however, watch out for lahars, which are mudflows or debris flows.
“Those can happen just like that,” she said, snapping her fingers. “If visitors are out and about, they're hiking, anytime they're around water or drainage and they kind of feel any kind of vibration or rumbling, if they hear anything that's really loud, if they have any sense that a lahar is happening, they need to get ready to go up. They need to climb in elevation wherever they are as quickly as they can.”
Does Mount Rainier require reservations?
This summer, for the first time, Mount Rainier will require timed entry reservations for two of its most popular areas:
“The timed entry system reservation system is not to limit visitation but to spread it out more equitably throughout the day,” Wildly said.
She said 70% of the park’s annual visitation occurs in the summer, which not only impacts visitors’ experiences but the park itself. In the past, she said visitors have waited up to three hours just to enter the park and when crowds have gotten too thick, people have gone off trail and damaged meadows that can take decades to recover.
Reservations will only be needed between the hours of 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. during those summer periods.
They will cost $2 per vehicle and be available on recreation.gov. The first batch of reservations dropped Feb. 21. Additional reservations will become available a night in advance of visits.
Visitors must also pay a park entrance fee of $30 per vehicle, $25 per motorcycle or $15 per person enter on foot or bike.
What are the best months to visit Mount Rainier National Park?
Visitors who want to see Mount Rainier’s famous wildflowers need to visit in the summer, around July or August, but Wildly says September and October are among her favorite times of year there.
“The shrubs, berry bushes and other plants around Paradise, they turn this beautiful red color,” she said. “And you tend to still have a period of stable weather before the snow comes. It tends to be less crowded, and you have a little bit more solitude.”
The closest airport is Seattle Tacoma international Airport, which is about 2 hours away by car. Portland International Airport is just under 2.5 hours away.
Can you drive up Mount Rainier?
The highest point reachable by car is Sunrise, which is 6,400 up.
Wildly warns road conditions can change quickly, and traveling between elevations can be like traveling between seasons.
From Nov. 1 through May 1, visitors must carry tire chains in their cars.
“You don't have to have them on, but you just have to have them with you and be ready to deploy them,” she said, noting that the park is under snow for nearly eight months of the year.
How long does it take to walk up Mount Rainier?
There’s no walking to the 14,410-foot top of Mount Rainier.
“The mountain itself is a true technical climb meaning overnights and climbing, not hiking,” Wildly said. “There’s a very small percentage of very skilled, hardy individuals that can do it up and back in the day, but that is not common at all. I would say the vast majority of climbers are going to be in that two to four range if you’re talking about a summit climb.”
Climbers must also pay a $68 annual climbing fee in advance.
Most park visitors hike along Mount Rainier and don’t climb up it.
Who are the Native people of Mount Rainier?
“This is a homeland of many Indigenous people,” Wildly said. “That connection is strong and still there.”
The park’s website says the Cowlitz, Muckleshoot, Nisqually, Puyallup, Squaxin Island, Yakama, and Coast Salish people have been connected to the land since time immemorial.
“We do continue to work with our tribal partners to try to ensure that their voice is heard,” Wildly said.
