Hiking Guide
WTA's hiking guide is the most comprehensive database of hikes in Washington, and comprises content written by local hiking experts and user submitted information. All data is vetted by WTA staff. This resource is made possible by the donations of WTA members.
We respectfully acknowledge the lands we are visiting are the homelands of Indigenous tribes of the Pacific Northwest, some of whom have reserved rights on these lands. Tribes continue to rely on and share in the management of these lands today. Please tread gently and treat these places with respect.
Results List
117 HikesMount Rainier Area > NW - Carbon River/Mowich
6.1 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1,300 feet
Highest Point: 5,800 feet
Rating:
This popular summer trail offers wildflower-filled meadows, a glistening alpine lake, big mountain views and wildlife sighting aplenty.
Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
7.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 150 feet
Highest Point: 1,300 feet
Rating:
Located on the White River near Mount Rainier, the Mud Mountain Dam is both a flood control dam operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a recreation facility. At about 3.5 miles from the trailhead, Scatter Creek makes the trail impassable.
Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
4.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 80 feet
Highest Point: 1,300 feet
Rating:
Located on the White River near Mount Rainier, the Mud Mountain Dam is both a flood control dam operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a recreation facility. This gentle 2-mile trail will take you along the White River.
Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
14.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1,900 feet
Highest Point: 4,100 feet
Rating:
Visit a trail where rushing rivers, placid lakes, and wild forests abound.
Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
15.9 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2,680 feet
Highest Point: 5,300 feet
Rating:
This trail has it all, from beautiful forests, beautiful waterfalls, good climbing and fun descents to technical sections with views of Mount Rainier from cliffs that will inspire you.
Mount Rainier Area > NE - Sunrise/White River
7.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1,650 feet
Highest Point: 5,275 feet
Rating:
Chinook and Cayuse Passes are closed for the season
Walk a very pleasant and well-graded trail through old- and new-growth forest. After a moderate elevation gain, the forest opens into meadowlands filled with wildflowers after the snow melts. A pair of shallow but pretty lakes, with a rocky ridge as a backdrop, completes the scene.
Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
5.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 950 feet
Highest Point: 6,011 feet
Rating:
This hike up to a former lookout site provides spectacular views of Mount Rainier and the surrounding landscape.
Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
7.8 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 300 feet
Highest Point: 2,550 feet
Rating:
Choose between a shorter or longer river walk through old-growth forest to a 250-foot cascading waterfall.
Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
3.5 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 900 feet
Rating:
Rock spires across the Naches River from Highway 410 catch the eye of travelers from the roadway. For a closer look, consider a hike to the top of Edgar Rock by way of the Lost Creek Trail. This route proves popular early in the season as well as late in the year. The hike is not very long and features good views at the top.
Mount Rainier Area > Chinook Pass - Hwy 410
1.8 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 200 feet
Highest Point: 5,700 feet
Rating:
Dalles Ridge is the primary way that hikers access the popular Noble Knob Trail and Ranger Creek. It provides hikers with a beautiful ridge walk after a steady climb from the trailhead.
Mount Rainier Area > SW - Longmire/Paradise
2.8 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 660 feet
Highest Point: 3,650 feet
Rating:
Paradise Valley Road is closed for the season. The road from Longmire to Paradise is closed Monday through Friday until further notice.
Cougar Rock to Carter Falls is a moderate and readily accessible segment of the Wonderland Trail that packs stunning mountain vistas, river views, waterfalls, wildflowers, old growth, and edible berries into just 1.3 miles of family-friendly hiking in Mount Rainier National Park.
Mount Rainier Area > SW - Longmire/Paradise
6.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2,150 feet
Highest Point: 5,850 feet
Rating:
Paradise Valley Road is closed for the season. The road from Longmire to Paradise is closed Monday through Friday until further notice.
Follow tumbling, churning, Van Trump Creek upstream past spectacular Bloucher Falls and Comet Falls, to an alpine meadow featuring views of Mount Rainier and easy wandering. For an added treat, hike two extra miles for a stunning view of the barren Kautz Creek valley from Mildred Point.
Mount Rainier Area > SW - Longmire/Paradise
0.8 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 185 feet
Highest Point: 5,600 feet
Rating:
Paradise Valley Road is closed for the season. The road from Longmire to Paradise is closed Monday through Friday until further notice.
A good, short destination just outside of the main Paradise visitors area, Myrtle Falls is a beauty.
Mount Rainier Area > SW - Longmire/Paradise
5.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1,150 feet
Highest Point: 5,400 feet
Rating:
Paradise Valley Road is closed for the season. The road from Longmire to Paradise is closed Monday through Friday until further notice.
Hiking the trail between the Narada Falls viewpoint and Reflection Lakes is pleasant enough. But you can extend the route into a loop featuring an unobstructed view of the Tatoosh Range from a rocky bluff, and an up-close experience of the awe-inspiring whitewater cascades of the Paradise River.
Mount Rainier Area > SW - Longmire/Paradise
25.0 miles of trails
Highest Point: 10,080 feet
Rating:
Paradise Valley Road is closed for the season. The road from Longmire to Paradise is closed Monday through Friday until further notice.
Paradise provides a gateway to Washington's most iconic mountain, trails to get your heart pumping or just stretch your legs, and in winter, fantastic snowshoe and skiing opportunities for people of all ages.
Mount Rainier Area > SW - Longmire/Paradise
2.2 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 400 feet
Highest Point: 5,850 feet
Rating:
Paradise Valley Road is closed for the season. The road from Longmire to Paradise is closed Monday through Friday until further notice.
Sometimes the crowds at Mount Rainier’s Paradise can be overwhelming. Hike the Moraine Trail to get off of asphalt paths and away from the throngs. The reward is a view down into the immense Nisqually River Valley from the very edge of its moraine.
Mount Rainier Area > SW - Longmire/Paradise
1.1 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 200 feet
Highest Point: 5,400 feet
Rating:
Paradise Valley Road is closed for the season. The road from Longmire to Paradise is closed Monday through Friday until further notice.
Follow the trails here to views of Mount Rainier's rocky Nisqually River valley and the much-receded Nisqually Glacier.
Mount Rainier Area > SW - Longmire/Paradise
4.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1,160 feet
Highest Point: 6,400 feet
Rating:
Paradise Valley Road is closed for the season. The road from Longmire to Paradise is closed Monday through Friday until further notice.
Follow a loop trail that samples what Mount Rainier has to offer: a popular waterfall, vast expanses of wildflowers, numerous snowmelt streams, a historic monument to the mountain’s first climbers, and of course views of Mount Rainier itself.
Mount Rainier Area > SW - Longmire/Paradise
5.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1,300 feet
Highest Point: 6,700 feet
Rating:
Paradise Valley Road is closed for the season. The road from Longmire to Paradise is closed Monday through Friday until further notice.
Paradise is one of the most gorgeous (and, as a result, popular) parts of Washington. This short but steep trail offers tourists and locals alike one of the most stunning views for the least number of miles in Washington state, but that doesn't mean you won't sweat! Be prepared to climb more than 1000 feet in less than a mile at the outset of this trail .
Mount Rainier Area > SW - Longmire/Paradise
9.6 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2,300 feet
Highest Point: 5,465 feet
Rating:
This lovely trail through the Glacier View Wilderness can take you across the Wilderness, starting on a ridge with filtered views of Rainier, down past Beljica Meadows Lake(s) up and over a ridge to lovely Goat Lake. Continue up the trail to the National Park boundary and one can continue on to Gobbler's Knob and the old fire lookout there.
Mount Rainier Area > NW - Carbon River/Mowich
6.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 100 feet
Highest Point: 1,360 feet
Rating:
Mowich Lake Road is closed for the season
A great exploratory hike to an old coal mining ghost town, with views of the underside of the Fairfax bridge.
Mount Rainier Area > NE - Sunrise/White River
13.7 miles, one-way
Gain: 5,200 feet
Highest Point: 6,700 feet
Rating:
The road to Sunrise is closed for the season.
A section of the scenic Wonderland Trail, enjoy views of Mount Rainier and the Carbon Glacier, numerous creek crossings, and meadows as you connect between Sunrise and the Carbon River.
Mount Rainier Area > NE - Sunrise/White River
36.5 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 12,000 feet
Highest Point: 6,500 feet
Rating:
The road to Sunrise is closed for the season.
A beautiful loop trail on the north side of Mount Rainier, this is a shorter, but no less lovely, option to the Wonderland Trail.
Mount Rainier Area > NW - Carbon River/Mowich
18.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 5,324 feet
Highest Point: 6,800 feet
Rating:
The road to Sunrise is closed for the season.
This is a trail where the journey is as interesting as the destination. Enjoy a beautiful waterfall and views of icy Winthrop Glacier. Gaze directly at Mount Rainier and witness the fascinating destruction caused by the floods of 2006. All of this is chased by the peaceful basin of Mystic Lake and surrounding meadows.
Mount Rainier Area > NE - Sunrise/White River
12.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 2,950 feet
Highest Point: 6,800 feet
Rating:
The road to Sunrise is closed for the season.
Begin in old-growth forest, climb up to one of Mount Rainier's most spectacular wildflower meadows, then continue along the highest section of the Wonderland Trail to reach the alpine world of Panhandle Gap. Along the way be alert for marmots and goats, and it is not unusual to see a black bear.
Mount Rainier Area > SE - Cayuse Pass/Stevens Canyon
10.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 3,080 feet
Highest Point: 6,790 feet
Rating:
The road to Sunrise is closed for the season.
Tamanos is a moderately strenuous 10 mile round trip hike that goes through forest, meadows, rock and ridge scrambles ending in glorious up close views of Mount Rainier.
Mount Rainier Area > NE - Sunrise/White River
14.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 3,700 feet
Highest Point: 6,815 feet
Rating:
The road to Sunrise is closed for the season.
Grand Park provides one of the absolute best views of The Mountain from any of the trails in the park. Though longer than the access from Lake Eleanor, this route is more scenic, passing through the stark rocky landscape of Sunrise to flower-filled Berkeley Park and then climbing gradually through cool forest before getting to alpine meadows and majestic Grand Park itself.
Mount Rainier Area > NE - Sunrise/White River
11.5 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 3,100 feet
Highest Point: 7,400 feet
Rating:
Sunrise Road and White River Road are closed for the season.
Expansive views of Mount Rainier, up-close views of Emmons Glacier, lakes, and campsites are just a few features of the Glacier Basin Loop's varying landscape.
Mount Rainier Area > SW - Longmire/Paradise
5.5 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 1,450 feet
Highest Point: 6,800 feet
Rating:
The Skyline Trail is the main route for hiking out of Paradise, Mount Rainier’s south side hub and most popular destination, providing visitors a unique opportunity to experience the breathtaking beauty of Washington’s grandest mountain. In peak season your trip along the Skyline Trail will be filled with views of cascading waterfalls, mighty glaciers and subalpine meadows brimming with colorful splashes of lupines, mountain heather, scarlet paintbrush, cascade asters and bistort.
Mount Rainier Area > NW - Carbon River/Mowich
16.0 miles, roundtrip
Gain: 5,100 feet
Highest Point: 6,375 feet
Rating:
Mowich Lake Road is closed for the season
Considered one of the best loop hikes in Mount Rainier National Park, the trail through the alpine meadows of Spray and Seattle Parks blazes with a bounty of seasonal wildflowers. Throw in an ample serving of glassy tarns, a couple of wispy waterfalls, an optional side trip to Carbon Glacier and a forested stroll up Ipsut Creek, and you have a photographer’s dreamland.