Mount Rainier National Park

A 14,410-foot active stratovolcano and the most heavily glaciated peak in the contiguous United States: NPS counts 28 major glaciers covering about 30 square miles. The mountain the NPS spells Takhóma sits at the center of the homelands of seven associated nations. The USGS rates it a Very High Threat volcano, largely for the lahar risk down the Puyallup and Nisqually river valleys. Plan for the chance you never see it: locals say "the mountain is out" because it usually is not.

The glacier with the lowest terminus altitude (3,600 feet per NPS) of any in the contiguous 48 states, fed by the mountain's wet northwest side. It is reached on foot from the Carbon River entrance in the park's northwest corner, where the lower Carbon River road is closed to cars and walked or biked instead. The flat former roadbed runs for miles and is stroller-passable for the first half-mile, which makes the approach itself a kid-doable walk before the glacier viewpoint.

Roadside lakes on Stevens Canyon Road that mirror the mountain's south face on a still morning, with no hike required: the pullout sits about 1.3 miles east of the Paradise Road wye, at the lakeshore. The picture is the early, windless one, before the surface ripples. Stevens Canyon Road between Paradise and Ohanapecosh has had recurring landslide closures, so check the NPS road-status page before you count on reaching it, and the road closes for winter like most of the park's high routes.

A stand of old-growth Douglas-fir, western redcedar, and western hemlock on an island in the Ohanapecosh River, reached by a suspension footbridge in the park's southeast corner. It is the marquee old-growth walk. Confirm status first: the suspension bridge and trail have been closed since November 2021 flood damage per the NPS, and they may still be closed when you arrive. Treat this as a check-the-conditions-page stop rather than a sure thing.

The subalpine meadow at 5,400 feet on the south side, and the park's primary destination: it holds the Jackson Visitor Center, Paradise Inn, and the Skyline trailheads. Paradise averages about 640 inches of snow a year per the NPS, so snowfields linger into July. It draws the heaviest summer crowds of any hub in the park, which is why the advice is to arrive before 8 a.m. or after 4 p.m. on a summer weekend and to check the live timed-entry status before you drive in.

At 6,400 feet, Sunrise is the highest point reachable by road in the park, on the northeast side at Yakima Park. The east side sits in the mountain's rain shadow and runs drier and clearer than Paradise, which makes it the better bet on a cloudy day. Sunrise Road is seasonal, typically opening late June or early July and closing late September or early October, and the NPS has required timed-entry reservations for the Sunrise Corridor in recent peak summers. Check the current status.

The park's first developed area, on the road in from the Nisqually (southwest) entrance and the original headquarters. It holds the small Longmire Museum, the National Park Inn, and the Trail of the Shadows trailhead, and it is a registered historic district. The mineral springs here are what drew James Longmire to build in the 1880s. Longmire stays open year-round, which makes it the family base for a winter or shoulder-season day when the high roads are closed.

A cedar-log lodge that opened in 1917 (built starting in 1916) and a National Historic Landmark, at 5,400 feet beside the Paradise meadows with stone fireplaces in the lobby and the Skyline trailheads out the door. It runs seasonally, roughly mid-May through September per the NPS. The lobby and dining room have seen repeated rehabilitation, and a 2025 storm knocked out the inn's water system, so confirm it is open and that reservations are live before you plan a night here.

The smaller of the two in-park inns, in the Longmire Historic District near the Nisqually (southwest) entrance, and the one that stays open year-round. That makes it the in-park bed for a winter snowshoe trip, when Paradise Inn is closed and the high roads are gated. A porch faces the mountain on clear days. The NPS lists it through the park concessioner. (Pictured: the Paradise Inn log exterior. The National Park Inn shares the same rustic in-park lodge style.)

A wildflower-ringed alpine lake on the east side at Chinook Pass, beside SR 410, with a short loop circling the water. It is the east-side counterpart to Reflection Lakes: late July to mid-August is the wildflower window, and mid-September is the fall-color window per the NPS. SR 410 over Chinook Pass closes for winter, so this is a summer-and-fall stop only.

A waterfall on the Paradise River that drops beside the road to Paradise, only about 150 feet from the pavement, the largest fall reachable by car in the park. Signed roadside parking leads to a short, steep path to the lower overlook, where spray reaches you at high flow per the NPS. It fits a tired afternoon between Longmire and Paradise without asking much of small legs.

The first paved mile of the Skyline Trail leads from Paradise to Myrtle Falls with the mountain behind it, suitable for strollers with help. This is how a family does the headline trail without committing to the full loop. The complete Skyline Loop via the High Skyline Trail runs 5.5 miles with 1,700 feet of gain and is harder than it looks for small kids. For older legs, Pebble Creek is a sane turnaround per the NPS.