Information about this hike provided in partnership with
Mountaineers Books.
Copyright © Dan A. Nelson/The Mountaineers Books Alta Vista Loop
Featured In:
Day Hiking: Mount Rainier National Park Trails,
by Dan A. Nelson and Alan L. Bauer.
A portion of all book sales from the links above benefits WTA and helps protect and maintain our trails. The paved trail climbs steeply through the wildflowers that grow right down the verge of the parking lot. The network of trails in the lower meadows can be a bit confusing, but to make your routefinding easier, simply keep your goal in sight. Alta Vista is the tall fin of tree-covered rock due north of the parking lot. At each intersection, pick the trail that leads north toward this fin. For the best experience, angle toward the east side of the Alta Vista summit, following a steep dirt trail along the precipitous wall above Edith Creek basin. This deep, green valley is typically awash in wildflowers from late July through August. At about 0.7 mile, the trail--now on the northern flank of Alta Vista--reaches a four-way junction. The Skyline Trail leads farther north, as well as southwest toward the Paradise visitor center. The other forks are the one you came up and the return left across the crest of Alta Vista. Take this path back. Stop periodically to look behind you at the monolith of Mount Rainier. The trail drops off the southern end of Alta Vista and descends steeply back into the Paradise meadows to close your loop. Wander back to where you started.
Driving Directions:
From Tacoma, drive east on State Route 7 to Elbe, then veer left onto SR 706 to enter the park at the Nisqually Entrance near Ashford. Continue east along the Nisqually Road to the Paradise Lodge parking area. Park in the large parking lot and find the trail near the climbers hut on the north side of the parking lot. Recent Trip Reports
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trip reports for this hike.
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Water on trail | Snow on trail | Bugs
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It was a sunny day at Mt. Rainier! We drove to Ashford at a shuttle stop for the Longmire to...
It was a sunny day at Mt. Rainier! We drove to Ashford at a shuttle stop for the Longmire to Paradise shuttle bus FREE throughout the summer. The parking spaces for Paradise were crowded full once we got dropped off by the shuttle, so I recommend you ride the shuttle to save gas, waiting for a parking spot, and the last shuttle bus goes at 7:10 p.m., so you have plenty of time to enjoy the outdoors. The shuttle bus also drops you off at trails like Comet Falls(long hike) and Christine Falls(nice hike), and plus the shuttle bus is going to run next week, so take your children to the wonderful Paradise! The shuttle ONLY runs in the summer, and next week is the last week it will run, so take advantage.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When we were driving to Ashford, we passed by a beautiful park called Sculpture Park. The artist made sculptures out of pieces of driftwood or metal that would have otherwise been thrown away. Take pictures there and get a flyer which you can email the artist and buy something at the gift shop! At the door of the gift shop, there was a big book where you could comment on the artist's work. Fascinating! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Paradise was beautiful and that is why it was crowded, as well. There was a linking of trails and we could see hikers going up and down these trails. There are a few benches for you to enjoy the spectacular view of the meadows. Inside the visitor center, there were many benches and tables for you to rest, and also so buttons and stickers like "Don't be a meadow stomper" and "Keep Wildlife Wild, Don't Feed Them". The park is beautiful so I wouldn't mind cashing in a dollar or two. There is also a theater which shows a video of Mt. Rainier and Paradise hiking trails, which runs at certain times. If you want to stay at Paradise longer, there is the Paradise Inn. For lunch, if you want to save money, bring your own lunch. However, food at Paradise can be good to fit any appetite, from a snack to a meal. There are sandwiches, chips, bars, and ice cream sundaes! Your children can hike from trails ranging from easy to hard. If you want an easy one, take the Nisqually Vista Trail or the Skyline Trail to Myrtle Falls (which is beautiful). If your kids are more experienced hikers or want a challenge, go to the Alta Vista Loop trail. There were lots of wildflowers blooming out and about, but DO NOT STEP OFF THE TRAILS! If you step off the trail, with every step you take an average of 20 plants are impacted! The trail we took was very steep and can wear your little ones out! So take the trail slowly and rest on the shade or a log bench (there are many of these). However, along the trail it slopes a bit downward (which will be a relief to your little ones). There will be various snow patches to cross. So bring hiking boots or sturdy footwear. The ice patches are VERY cold, which can soothe your little one's heat. Our children made a ball of snow and began tossing it from hand to hand because her hands were very hot. Soon the snow began melting, but as they crossed from snow patch to snow patch, they stuck more fresh snow on top of the ball. There is a gorgeous view of the mountain and also a very big snow patch with rocks so you can sit on the rocks to rest, when the children are playing with the snow. The ice is very slippery, and plus there is water on the trail as well from the melted snow, so soon the snow will turn to slush. The flowers are quite lovely in the meadows, but take only pictures! I hope you will enjoy Paradise as much as I did!
Alta Vista Loop
— Aug 28, 2011
— theidealhiker
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
Snow on trail
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Wow! First time I went to Paradise - it was absolutely gorgeous! There were many wildflowers, and basically, it was...
Wow! First time I went to Paradise - it was absolutely gorgeous! There were many wildflowers, and basically, it was something beyond words.
In case you want to know, we took a shuttle up to Paradise and it took around 90 minutes. We had to transfer at Longmire and then head up to Paradise. We took an early shuttle at 10:05 and there was nobody except us! Beautiful day! After lunch break and some pictures, we took the trail. BOY, was it steep! I only recommend that experienced hikers with older children go on this trail. I was out of breath already when we reached the 1st sign at 0.1 miles. Younger children should not take this trail. There is also sections of the trail where there is snow, and you HAVE to cross it. Be careful, I slipped pretty easily. After I don't even know when, I could not go on since there was more snow on the trail and I didn't have the proper equipment to go on. The mountain was BEAUTIFUL. If you look closely, you see (and hear! How exciting!) waterfalls cascading down the mountain. There is still plenty of snow and ... beyond this, ... the beauty is indescribable. Beautiful, just absolutely amazing. Going down is harder, we took approximately an hour. Remember, there are LOTS of snow on this trail. You can take 2 paths and I took the one down to the right. I don't know if that was the longer way or not. I recommend this hike STRONGLY for experienced hikers ONLY. 4 stars, beautiful. I will definitely drive down to this mountain again the following year. TheIdealHiker =)
Alta Vista Loop
— Oct 07, 2010
— Janice Van Cleve
Day hike
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this is a test of the WTA website....
this is a test of the WTA website.
Icicle Creek, Alta Vista Loop
— May 30, 2010
— wolfwoman
Day hike
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The crew today included K.Gazelle, Phlemy, Tony and Neil B. This is a respectable workout which was the goal today....
The crew today included K.Gazelle, Phlemy, Tony and Neil B. This is a respectable workout which was the goal today. The trail goes up and up gaining about 4200' in five miles which we polished off in three hours thanks to K. Gazelle's blistering pace. I did say I wanted a work out, didn't I? Once on the ridge the grade mellowed out and snow patches appeared. Our crew didn't seem too interested in going much further and took a break while K.Gazelle and I scoped out the ridge. There appears to be semisolid snow from here on. I would guess to Fourth of July Pass and a bit below that. After our quick look around it was back down the trail for us. The weather was fine with high clouds to sunny conditions with warm temperatures. A highlight of the trip was Tony spotting some bear tracks in the snow. Also, I found one lonely patch of Tweedyi Lewisia about midway on the trail.
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