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Stevens Canyon Road is open year-round in the park’s southwest corner, where visitors can tour the Longmire Museum and stay at the National Park Inn. Through the park’s southern sections, the road can usually open sooner and remain open later, providing a much longer season to visit the Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center and the Paradise Inn (elevation: 5,400 feet MSL). From there, visitors can walk to and upon a glacier and to several waterfalls, alpine lakes and meadows painted with vibrant wildflowers.
Like any national park, Mount Rainier is most rewarding when the car is parked and one ventures deeper into the park’s interior on foot, and opportunities to do so are plentiful in MRNP. Short loop trails are available from almost every visitor and information center within the park. As one travels west on Hwy 706 (Stevens Canyon Road), there are places to stop and view or hike through a box canyon, multiple waterfalls and a grove of giant trees. These are all easy hikes suitable for most fitness levels. For serious multiday or thru- hikers, the park includes sections of the famous Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) along its eastern border. The Wonderland Trail is entirely within the park, encircling the volcano and covering some 93 miles of stunning scenery. While it is considered one of the most scenic trails in the U.S., it is also categorized as “strenuous” because it has almost no flat terrain. Between its low point of 2,320 feet and its high point of 6,750 feet, hikers can expect to climb or descend continuously for cumulative elevation gain of almost 22,000 feet!
Capping It Off
Just a short drive further down I-5, the notorious Mount Saint Helens awaits. While not a national park, but a National Volcanic Mon- ument, and not as developed as a result, it is still very much worth a visit. The May 1980 eruption which leveled 150 square miles of forest,
The Grove of the Patriarchs Trail in the southeastern corner of MRNP allows visitors to get up close and personal with some of the largest trees in the park. This trail is also very near the Stevens Canyon entrance to the park, for anyone entering the park from the east side versus the more popular southwest entrance.
FEBRUARY 2024
KING AIR MAGAZINE • 21