Can I visit Mount Rainier inside a day?

September 25, 2006 5:18 PM

A weekend in Seattle - whats the best way to see Mount Rainer?

I'm on business in Seattle for about two weeks, and the seasonably lovely weather has made me think that I should try and visit Mount Rainer this coming weekend (the weather forecast is for mostly dry and warmish).

I'm not a hiker - but I have a rental car, and I'd love to get to some good positions to take photos. I'm staying in the Bellevue area - so I think I can find my way down to the area fairly easy, but I don't know the best routes to take into the park that will get me some nice views, I will only have a day - so anything reachable inside a couple of hours would be perfect.

Does anyone have any great suggestions for seeing Mount Rainier from close up?

posted by mattr to Travel & Transportation around Seattle, WA (8 answers total)

Best answer: The area near Paradise is the main visitor center, but the area near Sunrise will likely have better weather, as it's in the mountain's rain shadow. Sunrise also has some good hiking that is not terribly strenuous. I also like the Grove of the Patriarchs for an easy hike, and the river is cool, although the view of the mountain there is limited.
posted by frogan at 5:39 PM on September 25, 2006

BTW, you could easily get down there and drive entirely all around the park, hitting all the spots I mentioned, and back in a day, although that's some not-insignificant amount of driving.
posted by frogan at 5:41 PM on September 25, 2006

If the day is clear you can easily see Mt. Rainier from Seattle.

If the day is cloudy then you won't see it from anywhere, no matter how far you drive.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 5:43 PM on September 25, 2006

From the air.

Call Kenmore Air Services (multiple locations) about a sight-seeing trip flying around the mountain. I did this with a small group of people as part of a birthday present, and it was a blast. I gained a new admiration for a mountain that I'd looked at every day for 10 years.

Kenmore has older planes (Beavers) and newer planes (Caravans), all of which will provide a great close up view of the top of the mountain. You'll have headsets on, and the pilot provides a lot of information about what you are seeing.
posted by Dunwitty at 5:51 PM on September 25, 2006

Best answer: Echoing frogan; it's a nice day's trip. I advise you to take along a nice picnic lunch; there's no decent food on the mountain and only one greasy snack-bar type place at Paradise.
posted by Rubber Soul at 5:59 PM on September 25, 2006

I'd third driving up to Paradise. There are many stops along the way up with great views, and short hikes once you get there. It's so awesome.
posted by NSSG at 6:26 PM on September 25, 2006

I like the back route- Sunrise and Grove of the Patriarchs. Everybody else will be at Paradise.
posted by carterk at 8:30 PM on September 25, 2006

Best answer: Paradise is not a paradise these days...the lodge is being remodeled and there is almost no parking available.

For my money, Lake Tipsoo (Chinook Pass), and especially Upper Tipsoo (very short hike), plus going to Sunrise, give you the best easy-to-drive-to views. Essentially, take I-405 south onto I-5, turn east at Highway 18, get off on the Auburn Way-Enumclaw exit, and follow Auburn Way, State Highway 164. You'll end up in Enumclaw eventually. Follow the signs to State Route 410, which goes to the mountain. There is a $15 fee to get into the park, which you won't have to pay to get to Tipsoo (since it's on a state highway) but you will have to pay to get to Sunrise (which is accessible from a well-marked turnoff from 410). The resulting pass is good for unlimited visits for a week.

This is a beautiful drive, by the way. Start early. Lots of rolling farmland once you get out of Auburn, then woods and rivers headed toward the mountain. The road to Sunrise is delightfully switch-backed, but is paved and safe. At Sunrise you are Right. At. The. Mountain. (Sunrise Point is a deservedly popular stargazing site as well). Stopping at the Dairy Queen in Enumclaw on the way back is an essential end to the day.
posted by lhauser at 8:35 PM on September 26, 2006 [1 favorite]