Hiking Rampart Ridge and Exploring Paradise at Mount Rainier National Park

We arrived to Mount Rainier National Park early, as we heard the entrance could get crowded. I was doubtful it would be crowded this time of year! Half of the park was still closed for the winter. At the lower elevations, though, the sun was shining and everything was GREEN! We parked at the Wilderness Information Center at the Longmire Entrance to the park. We asked one of the Rangers what hike would be best to do, and she suggested the Rampart Ridge Trail, which was connected to the Trail of Shadows. Trail of Shadows was an easy little hike through the forest around a pristine meadow, which offered a great warm-up for the hike to come.

The Rampart Ridge trail was a well-maintatined path that had lots of switchbacks. There were even some good viewpoints on the way up.

Soon, we arrived at the top of the ridge that had impressive views of the volcano itself. There was still a bit of snow on the trail!

We hiked down from the ridge via the Wonderland Trail, which is a 93-mile trail that encircles Rainier which is now on my bucket list. This section was a little steeper and rugged than the trail we hiked up. Nothing too serious, though, as both were in great shape.

When we got back down to the car, we had a snack and decided to drive the road up to Paradise. The visitor center was open, despite a few feet of snow remaining at the high elevation (5,400 ft)!

We were up close and personal with Rainier!

After checking out the visitor center and gift shop, we stopped at a few viewpoints along the road on the way down.

On the way back to our cabin, we stopped for lunch at the Copper Creek Inn, right outside of the park, and enjoyed a slice of their famous blackberry pie a la mode.