Took my mom for her first trip to paradise! We took the hike out to the glacier vista. We used snowshoes, and popped off trail for a bit to play in the fluffy snow. Took the eastern route to the viewpoint and stopped before it turns off to panorama point then looped up to the ridge to take the western route back. Lots of sunshine, not too many people and fantastic views of the mountain. Roads were great with AWD.

All last week was clear & sunny although very, very cold throughout the entire state. Taking advantage of this beautiful weather window was a priority. The very low temperature wasn't a deterrent. We had been planning on going for a snowshoe all week long but something kept interrupting our plans. Friday was our last opportunity and my wife decided we should drive to Mt Rainier and up to Paradise with no definite plans on a snowshoe route. We agreed that we would just wing it once we arrived. We left Kirkland at 10:30 am and arrived at the Paradise parking lot just a few minutes after 1:00 pm. Stopping at the booth at the Nisqually Entrance the ranger reminds visitors that it's required to have chains in the vehicle, not necessarily on the tires. They take your word for it and don't actually make you prove it. Also, they remind you that the gate at Longmire gets closed & locked at 5:00 pm. The uphill gate is closed at 4:00 pm. Longmire is where the "National Park Inn" is located and it's open year-round. Paradise Inn is closed for the season. Road up to Paradise is compact snow and ice. Really no issues for our 4WD truck. The parking lot up at Paradise, on the other hand, is a solid sheet of ice. When we parked, the first thing we did was put on our microspikes before stepping out. We headed up toward the mountain with no real agenda and knowing we were on a time schedule. The ranger at the gate advised us to be driving out of the Paradise parking lot by 4:30 pm and give ourselves enough "safe driving" time to be outside of the Longmire gate by 5:00 What a gorgeous day! Clear blue skies and absolutely no wind. Mt Rainier is in your face the entire time as you ascend up the slope towards Glacier Vista & Panorama Point. Turn around and you could see Mt Adams & Mt St Helens in the distance. We were shedding our down jackets just a few minutes into our hike and hiked the rest of the day in long sleeve shirts. Entertained by all the beautiful wind sculpted snow and drifts. A reminder of how violent the wind can get up there. I'll back up and say, we didn't bother with the snowshoes, and just hiked the well packed snowshoe trail in microspikes and gaiters. Very little postholing. We got just a bit past Glacier Vista and hiked over to the rim to look down on Nisqually Glacier. Beautiful uninterrupted virgin snow covering and smoothing out all of the Nisqually Glacier's open crevasses and scars. We contemplated Panorama Point as we could see a couple of tandem teams ascended and descending. We decided it would have been tough to get up and back to our truck by 4:30. Very few people up there today. We turned around and took our time heading out. Passed maybe 15 people, both ways, on the established snowshoe path. Drove out of the Paradise parking lot at 4:15. On our way out, we stopped at Kautz Creek, cracked open a couple ice cold beers, and watched the setting sun light up Mt Rainier in a beautiful pink glow. Fantastic day with my wife!

Where do you go for a perfect Spring Snowshoe when there is not a cloud in the sky? Paradise! There were dozens of kids playing on the slope above the parking lot and the laughter was great fun to hear. I headed up to Glacier Point first and then headed back along the ridge exploring the area and soaking in the views. The Nisqually Vista trail is flagged for a terrific snowshoe loop! The best access is from the lower Paradise Parking lot and then head up on a path towards a little shed. Then follow the bright orange poles that head away from the lodge and visitor's center and towards the glacier. It is mostly out and back but at the end towards the overlook, there is a little loop. This is a great beginning snowshoe adventure. It took me around an hour to complete. The view of the glacier is spectacular! On my way back I headed through Eatonville and stopped at my favorite Cottage Bakery and Cafe for pastries and tea! A lovely day!

Warm sunny day to try this one! I've included 5min of video highlights below the photos. Because there had been a slab avalanche on Panorama Point the day before, I decided to snowshoe on to Glacier Vista instead, a route free of any avalanche slopes. There were indeed pinwheels rolling down both sides of the last stretch to Panorama Point, a warning of wet avalanches. Not too many people out this day. I only saw one other at Glacier Vista and maybe a dozen heading up Panorama Point. It's a nice, steady climb through open forests to treeline and then nonstop views above treeline. Mt Adams and Mt Saint Helens were out and clear. Tatoosh Ridge and the Goat Rocks Wilderness peaks further on were also spectacular. The scenes unique to Glacier Vista are the dramatic cliff faces lining the upper Nisqually Valley. Highly recommended for a clear sunny day snowshoe destination!

Because of the dense fog at home, we didn't rush to get "on the road" which we would regret later in the day as our late start didn't give us time to get all the way to Glacier Vista! The visitor center parking lot was almost full when we arrived at 12:30. We had not done any snow shoeing for many years, but we found it easy to return to using them. We didn't have a thermometer, but it felt like the temperature was in the mid 60's! Although most people appeared to be prepared for walking in the snow, there were still many wearing only tennis shoes! There are many areas to meander to enjoy the snow and the views so this slowed us down. It was truly a beautiful day in Paradise and we hope to return again this season on another "blue bird" day like today! At this time the gate at Longmire closes at 5 PM so you should allow 20-30 minutes for the drive to the gate from the parking lot.