When the clock struck 6 a.m., we were off from Packwood en route to the fourth oldest U.S. National Park.
A month prior, my girlfriend, Piper, had mentioned her family was planning a camping trip to family property in Packwood — the easternmost census-designated place in Lewis County — the first full weekend of August.
I’m glad I didn’t get in trouble for my idea, but the first thing on my mind for a Saturday morning was traveling into Mount Rainier National Park for the first time in my life. The last idea on my mind was a relaxing morning.
After planning the exact times for the spots I wanted to hit without being obnoxiously early, my itinerary to enjoy Mount Rainier National Park with Piper and her brother, Owen, was set.
From the High Valley area of Packwood, the drive to the Stevens Canyon entrance of the park was just a mere 25 minutes. In the lush green old growth forest on the southeast side of Mount Rainier, the first true sign of August conditions was the Backbone Fire — which is a hard-to-reach 14-acre fire closing U.S. Forest Service land just west of Highway 123 along the south side of the National Park boundary.
After buying the interagency annual pass and crossing the Ohanapecosh River, the climb up Stevens Canyon Road was on. The first viewpoint of the 14,410-foot giant stratovolcano comes 6 miles in from the entrance, and the view is grand. The roadside viewpoint is distant enough that Little Tahoma Peak on the southeast flank is prominent. The closer you get to the mountain itself on the southern side, the view of Little Tahoma becomes obscured.
After departing when the clock rolled over from 5:59 a.m. to 6 a.m., the Stevens Canyon viewpoint was reached at 6:34 a.m. Now, the game was on to skip past other roadside views and scenic attractions and land at Reflection Lake while the morning sun enhanced the detail of the mountain.
In exactly 20 minutes, we found ourselves at arguably the best view of the mountain in the entire 236,000-plus-acre park. The view is magnificent roadside, but for hikers the Reflection Lakes area offers a 3-mile loop trail as well as the Pinnacle Peak Trail to the south of the lakes at 2.5 miles roundtrip. The Reflection Lake view was the one I had atop my checklist of National Park views.
The timing was right, too. Not many people, no wind, still some evaporation coming off the lake. The reflection was absolutely pristine.
After spending roughly five minutes at Reflection Lake, we were bound for Paradise. Paradise is a subalpine area around 5,400 feet in elevation featuring vast wildflower meadows — which are especially colorful in early August.
On the way to Paradise, a roadside viewpoint dubbed “Inspiration Point” was a must stop. A little tip for visiting any National Park — if there is a spot labeled Inspiration Point or Artist Point, always check out that view.
Now, back on the road to Paradise, the battle was soon approaching. With two sections of the park closed, one due to a fire and the other due to neglecting necessary bridge repairs on state Route 165, everyone else was destined for Paradise, too. Parking was a battle. I landed in one of the last remaining marked parking spots in the Paradise Picnic Area.
I was told we have to get to Paradise by 9 a.m. to achieve reasonable parking, while 7:15 a.m. made for a nail-biting experience for reasonable parking.
The lone goal for Paradise was to find a hoary marmot and the iconic Myrtle Falls. In contrast to many of my other “Backyard and Beyond” adventures of finding the lesser-visited areas, it made sense to visit the trendy spots for the first-time visit to Mount Rainier National Park.
In what felt like forever due to incline from the picnic area and the altitude, in 30 minutes of walking and stopping for photos, the three of us were standing in front of Myrtle Falls watching a marmot perform stunts to eat breakfast along the rock wall of the 72-foot tall cascade.
I achieved my goals for my first time visiting Mount Rainier National Park in just two-and-a-half hours. We enjoyed Myrtle Falls for about 10 minutes, and then enjoyed a couple of marmots knowing exactly what tourists want to see for another 20 minutes or so.
After returning to the visitor center and lodge area, we had to check out the gift shop and cafe — beware of National Park gift shop prices — though it was worth it.
Built in 1916, Paradise Inn is a great spot to enjoy breakfast and simply rest the legs.
Now back in the car and it only being 9:45 a.m., I figured I might as well head down for a southwest view of the mountain. Mount Rainier can look like a totally different peak from any given side.
A 15-minute stop at Narada Falls was also necessary. Narada Falls is the largest waterfall that can be driven directly to. The lower viewpoint is just a .2-mile walk, with a sneaky incline on the way back up though. The famous waterfall cascades a total of 188 feet in two tiers, making it a must-see feature of the park.
For the southwest angle of Mount Rainier, we continued west to Ricksecker Point — a viewpoint area that also includes a unique perspective of the Nisqually River’s headwaters from one of over 25 glaciers on the mountain.
Prior to the clock hitting 11 a.m., we stopped to give Box Canyon a gander. Box Canyon from the bridge view is a little spooky as you are looking straight down at a raging river over 160 feet below.
And by noon, the trip was completed as we were back in Packwood enjoying lunch. The itinerary being completed by noon, provided the fact that with a parking spot obtained at Paradise, more hiking can be done to make the trip a sunrise-to-sunset adventure.
For more information on Mount Rainier National Park, visit nps.gov/mora/index.htm.
