The Perfect 2 Days in Mt. Rainier National Park Itinerary
Out of all the National Parks we have visited, Mt.Rainier National Park might just be one of our favorites! You hear people call Mt.Rainier National Park a nature lover’s dream, and honestly I think this place made us fall even more in love with nature! With it’s stunning wildflower meadows, jaw-dropping views, glacier filled mountain peaks to it’s glowing blue alpine lakes, we have been dying to get back since the day we left.
Mount Rainier NP has so much to see and do like incredible hikes, camping, biking and winter sports, making it a great place to visit all year long. The park is also a great place to spot wildlife like elk, deer, mountain goats, moose and black bears! Seriously, this park checks all of the boxes!
We are super excited to share our two day itinerary filled with our favorite hikes, where to stay, travel tips and more to help you have the best trip ever when visiting this truly unforgettable National Park! Please remember to LEAVE NO TRACE to help keep Mount Rainier beautiful.
HOW TO GET TO MT.RAINIER
If you’re planning on flying in, the closest major airport to Mount Rainier NP is Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, and about a 2 hour drive to the park. Portland International Airport is also a great option as it’s only 3 hours away. When you land, we highly recommend renting a car or a campervan like we did!
We booked our Campervan through Moterra in Seattle and absolutely loved it! Mount Rainier NP is massive so this was a great way to limit the time we would spend driving back and forth from the park and spend more time exploring. It was such a surreal experience waking up to the sights and sounds of this beautiful National Park!
If you want more information about the exact camper we booked check out our van tour here
TIP: You can book a guided day tour to the park from Seattle on GetYourGuide!
BEST TIME TO VISIT
Some may consider Mount Rainier National Park a perfect place to visit any time of the year as some sections of the park are open year-round!
If you’re looking for the best weather, and those iconic wildflower filled trails then plan your visit from mid-July to late-August! This is the parks busiest time of the year so we recommend planning your trip during the weekdays if possible to avoid the crowds!
For those leaf peepers, Fall season at Mount Rainer NP is a great time to visit for its stunning foliage colors during late-September to late-October.
Mount Rainier NP is known for record breaking amounts of snow in the winter time during the months of November-March. Although only two entrances to the park are open, it’s a popular place for winter sport activities like snowmobiling, cross county skiing, snowshoeing and more!
TIPS FOR VISITING Mount Rainier National Park
Mount Rainier NP is known for unpredictable weather even in the sunny months! So make sure you plan accordingly and check for weather updates daily!
If you plan on visiting during the busy months July-August, we suggest planning your trip around the weekends to avoid the crowds!
Like many National Parks, access to cell service and wifi can be limited inside the park. You can find Wifi located inside the Paradise Jackson Visitor Center during business hours and depending on your phone carrier, some cell service can be found around the Paradise area!
Make sure to fill up your tank before entering the park as there are no gas stations within the park!
Make sure to download any maps or hiking trails before starting your adventures! We suggest using the app AllTrails.
If you’re looking for places to eat, Mount Rainier National Park has restaurants at the National Park Inn at Longmire and the Paradise Inn in Paradise. There’s also a snack bar at the Sunrise Day Lodge. Make sure to check https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/restaurants.htm for current information and hours. But we recommend bringing your own food and water to maximize your time inside the park!
ENTRANCE FEES AND RESERVATIONS
The price for a standard entrance pass for a private vehicle into the park is $30 and is valid for 7 days. However, if you plan on visiting other national parks within the year, we recommend purchasing the America The Beautiful annual pass. It’s $80 USD and covers entrance fees to all nationals parks and national wildlife refuges and day-use fees at national forests and more for a year!
At the time this blog was written, in addition to the entrance fee, a time entry reservation is required for the Sunrise Corridor from July 11 - Sept. 1 2025, then only on weekends and holidays from Sept.2 through the end of season! Make sure to stay up-to-date on all reservations and requirements prior to your trip.
You will need this reservation for part of this itinerary! You can book your reservation on https://www.recreation.gov/timed-entry/10101917
WHERE TO STAY
Mount Rainier National Park has plenty of lodging options to choose from for your trip. If you plan on staying inside the park, you can pick from the National Park Inn in the Longmire area, The Paradise Inn in Paradise, or one of the three major campgrounds Ohanapecosh, White River or Cougar Rock!
If you’re interested in staying outside of the park, we suggest basing yourself in Ashford (8 min, 6 miles away) or Packwood (17 min, 13 miles away)
We camped at Ohanapecosh and Cougar Rock during our trip and we loved every minute! Ohanapecosh has to be our favorite as it was surrounded by old growth forest and it’s beautiful snow fed river just steps away from our campervan! Ohanapecosh is also close to some popular hikes like Silver Falls and Grove of the Patriarchs!
Unfortunately, at the time of this blog, Ohanapecosh Campground is closed for the entire 2025 season due to renovations and construction.
DAY 1: PARADISE AREA AND ALPINE LAKES
Rickseekers Point
Sometimes you don’t need a hike for stunning views. Located just 12 minutes from the Cougar Rock Campground, Rickseeker’s Point can be a great viewpoint to start your day and has some of the best views of Mount Rainier just from outside your car with no hiking required.
This spot was so peaceful and the views were incredible! Even during the busy season, there weren’t many people here so even cooked breakfast in our campervan here. Make sure you’re paying attention to the signs or you can easily miss it!
If you’re in a campervan, we highly recommend stopping here for breakfast one morning to catch the sunrise!
Hike the scenic Skyline Loop
This 5.5-miles round-trip paved, handicapped accessible loop is arguably the most iconic and well-known trail in the park with it’s up-close views of Mount Rainer, rushing waterfalls, and lush wildflowers! We were even greeted by a beautiful buck deer in the parking lot when we arrived.
Most of this trail is in direct sunlight so make sure to bring plenty of water with you!
If you don’t want to do the entire loop, we recommend taking the trail counter clockwise to Myrtle Falls before turning back!
We recommend starting your adventure here early as it can get busy.
Myrtle Falls
Located just .5 miles from the Skyline Loop parking lot, this cascading 60-foot waterfall is one of the most popular day hikes in the park.
After only about a 10+ minute walk to the viewing area, you’ll get amazing, unobstructed views of the waterfall with Mount Rainier towering behind!
Hike Nisqually Vista Trail
Another popular trail connected to the Skyline Loop is Nisqually Vista Trail! Making it another great stop while you’re there. This popular and easy 1.2 mile loop is a great hike for all ages that offers spectacular views of Mount Rainier, Nisqually Glacier and River, and is another great place to spot lush wildflowers!
You can access the trail from the Skyline Loop or from the Paradise Lower Parking Lot for a shortcut. The trail is suitable for strollers but isn’t handicap accessible as there’s a staircase on the trailhead!
Take a Polar Plunge at Snow Lake
We couldn’t visit Mount Rainier National Park without taking a polar plunge in a crystal blue alpine lake and it was one of our favorite stops of our trip. This 2.0 mile, out and back, moderate trail has 410 elevation gain and offers views straight out of storybook the entire hike. Wildflower meadows, less crowds, bubbling creeks, tranquil alpine lakes, this trail has it all!
If you decide to take a dip in the lake, please be careful as it was the coldest water I’ve ever swam in and it instantly took my breath way when I dived in!
Tip: We highly recommend taking this hike during the middle of the day so the sun gives the lake that blueish tint and make sure to bring bug spray!
Bench Lake
During your hike to Snow Lake, you’ll notice signs for Bench Lake and you’ll definitely want to stop by on your way there!
Only a few minutes off the main trail to Snow Lake, you’ll find this gorgeous alpine lake surrounded by evergreen trees with a picture perfect Mount Rainier backdrop. Many people overlook this lake while heading to Snow Lake, so we even had this place all to ourselves for a bit!
Bench Lake adds roughly 40ft. elevation and 0.2 miles to your Snow Lake hike so it’s definitely worth it! Swimming is allowed but use caution as it can be very cold even in summer months! Also can be a great place to spot wildlife!
DAY 2: SUNRISE AREA
Catch Sunrise at Tipsoo Lake
Another one of favorite stops of our trip was watching sunrise at Tipsoo Lake. There’s something extremely satisfying when places you’ve seen online for years exceeds your expectations!
We had the spot all to ourselves, and as the sun started to glow on the mountain, the landscape turned into a stunning watercolor scene. It ended up being the perfect spot to snap some of my favorite photos.
Finding this exact spot was a little tricky. Our GPS kept directing us to the main parking lot and trailhead. But to get here, you actually need to leave the parking lot and turn left back onto Mather Memorial Parkway. Drive up the hill a bit, and you’ll spot a large pull-off area on the left side of the road!
TIP: Bring your bug spray!
Sunrise Road
What if I told you you can get an hour of breathtaking views of Mount Rainier National Park without even stepping foot out of your car? Sunrise Road is a 15 mile scenic drive that takes you to the Sunrise Visitor Center with so many scenic pull-offs for taking your souvenir Mount Rainier photos along the way!
The sunrise area is known for it’s subalpine meadows that attract tons of wildlife, so don’t be surprised if you see a bear or elk on the way! On clear days, you can even see Mt.Baker and Mt.Adams in the distance.
Sunrise Road opens late July through late September or early October. Make sure to check out the https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/road-status.htm for current conditions!
A timed entry reservation is required for the Sunrise Corridor from July 11 - Sept. 1 2025, then only on weekends and holidays from Sept.2 through the end of season!
Mount Fremont Lookout
If we could go back to Mount Rainier NP for one more hike, this would be the one! It’s one of our all time favorites. This 5.7 mile, 1,100 ft. elevation, out and back, moderate trail takes you to the highest fire lookout towers in the park and takes about 3 hours to complete.
Not only are you constantly rewarded the entire hike with epic views of Mount Rainier, glistening glaciers, picturesque meadows and even some mountain goats, but the reward of the views once you get to the lookout tower were seriously magical and otherworldly! If you love hikes with a big payoff, you will love this one.
Tips:
Trailhead starts at Sunrise Visitor Center so you will need a timed-entry reservation
Bring plenty of water and snacks!
Make sure to bring your headlamps if planning your hike around sunrise or sunset to catch those iconic cloud inversions!
On the way back, you’ll get a chance to walk part of the Wonderland Trail back to the car! Part of the famous 93-mile loop that encircles the entire National Park!
HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS Mount Rainier National PArk ITINERARY!
We hope this itinerary helps make your trip as unforgettable as ours! Have you been to Mount Rainier National Park before? Let us know if we missed something so we can add it to our itinerary!