Mount Rainier Wild Flowers

The first time I saw the alpine meadows in full bloom up at Mount Rainier was a complete accident. Scott and I decided to hike the skyline loop - a gorgeous 6-mile loop starting at Paradise. I couldn’t believe my eyes! You couldn’t design a garden more perfectly if you tried. It was just stunning!

Every year since then I try to get up there to see them. It can be tricky though because it varies from year to year when they will be in bloom. Generally, it’s sometime in the first 2 weeks of august, but it could be earlier or later depending on when the snow melts and general temperatures. And some years are better than others, at least in the number of varieties that are blooming at the same time.

Ideally, I try to get photos that combine the beauty of the flowers with the beauty of the mountain they are growing on. It doesn’t always happen though. One year we hiked up to Spray Park only to be completely under cloud cover with no mountain in sight. I ended up with gorgeous pictures of flowers covered in mist droplets from the clouds - but no mountain.

One year I went up to Paradise hoping to see blooms and saw a bunch of snow instead (the days before webcams could clue you in).  Or I’ve seen a few flowers but not the abundance I was hoping for. You never know what you’re going to see until you’re up there. It’s a good thing I love going to the mountain. A day on Mount Rainier is never a wasted day.

Starting this year – 2024 – you will need to make a reservation for the 2-hour window between 7AM and 3 PM you wish to enter the park. If you wish to enter before 7 Am or after 3 PM you may do so without a reservation. This is in effect from around mid-May to mid-September. It costs $2 to make your reservation, and normal park entry fees still apply.

You can reserve your spot here: https://www.recreation.gov/timed-entry/10101917

Have you been to see the wild flowers? Where do you like to go to see them?