Paradise was beautiful and crowded on Saturday. We arrived in the afternoon with the hope that some of the early crowds would have dissipated by then. Upon getting there it took 15-20 minutes to find parking and even then we were still in the overflow lot. There were cars everywhere, even parked along the main Paradise road.

The trail itself is in great condition, with only a few wet/muddy spots and about a three foot stretch of snow to walk across. We went counter-clockwise, stopping at Myrtle Falls first, then up through Golden Gate before joining back up with Skyline and taking the High Skyline trail route. 

The Fall colors are beautiful, especially in the lower sections of trail. There was a black bear foraging on the hillside next to the switchbacks along the Golden Gate segment of trail, a marmot higher up along Skyline, and a mountain goat in the fields along the trail as we were heading back down to the parking lot.

Temperatures changed depending on elevation. I was almost too hot in a tank top and shorts down at Golden Gate but was glad I had brought layers (and wished I had gloves) by the time we were at the high point of the Skyline Trail. Definitely pack extra clothing.

It was crowded, to say the least. Previously, I've always hiked this route in the Fall on weekdays and it's safe to say I'll be returning to that tradition after this weekend. We saw groups of all sizes, sometimes with as many as 20 people. LNT and trail etiquette was at an all time low. We were physically pushed by the group behind us (going in the same direction) while we were stopped to the side to let a group coming in the opposite direction pass, saw far too many people thinking it was okay to ignore the NP signs and wander off-trail through the meadows, and even saw some people who apparently thought it was okay to go at least a quarter mile off into the meadows to chase a panicked mountain goat up a scree slope.

If you're not already familiar, I highly recommend reading up on Leave No Trace at LNT.org before hitting the trails.

That being said, it was a beautiful day, but it's worth considering finding less popular trails for the weekends and visiting the popular ones on weekdays if possible. It's certainly what I would have done if my schedule allowed.

We arrived at Paradise at 10 a.m., but a lot of other day-hikers had the same idea.  The upper lot was already full, and the lower lot was filling fast.  Not really surprising for such a beautiful day, but a little suprising for October.

I was happy to see so many families out enjoying the area. As we headed up the trail, the crowds dispersed.  There really are a lot of choices which helps spread the hikers out. During most of the hike, there was a black bear grazing in the meadows along the lower edge of Mt. Rainier.  The trail itself has a small stream to cross. There were a couple of small icy spots on the lower trail. And there was a clear view of Mt. Rainier, the Tatoosh Range and Mt. St. Helens. The autumn reds and oranges were beautiful.  It was a very nice hike.

Beautiful day at Rainier. We braved the crowds as today was a free entrance day so there wasn't much solitude out on the trails today. But the views and animals made up for it. Saw a couple deer just inside the park on our way to Narada Falls where we started our hike. From there we hiked to Paradise and then took the Golden Gate trail to its upper junction with the Skyline trail. Golden Gate trail started with a nice grouse perched on a branch very close to the trail -- almost thought it was branch itself! Next up was a nice black bear foraging along the slopes. A little far but with the camera zoom got in some good pix. And of course the views were great. Took a right when we met up with the Skyline trail and followed it to the intersection with the Mazama Ridge trail. Along the way a marmot was content to be a star for all the hikers as it just sat there eating grass. From that junction we headed down to Reflection Lakes where there was no reflection today but still gorgeous views. Back over to Narada Falls to cap the loop. Berries and flowers are done but fall colors are out.

I started out from the Jackson Visitor Center parking lot just after 7 a.m. on a perfect Sunday. Going clockwise I took a left onto Deadhorse Creek trail, met up with Skyline to Panorama Point and High Skyline (as the Skyline loop is not available), wrapping up with Golden Gate. Along the way I saw marmots, two mountain goats (lounging), and a bear way off in the distance (thank you to Arianna who pointed it out and let me use her binoculars!). The fall colors are offering as much of a show as the wildflowers of late July/early August. The raging colors quiet down toward Panorama Point and High Skyline, but light up again going back down. This is the prettiest fall display I've seen on a hike.

What a perfect day to hike at Paradise! We did hiked an altered version of the Skyline loop, attempting to hike some portions of trail we haven’t before. We started at the Visitors Center parking lot, going clockwise, taking a left at the stairs to go to the Deadhorse Creek Trail, to where it meets up with the Skyline Trail, from there we turned left at the Glacier Vista offshoot, then back to where it meets up with Skyline to Panorama Point and High Skyline. On the way down we took Golden Gate to get back to Myrtle Falls and then to the parking lot. There are so many trails that interconnect here, you can’t go wrong! The trails we hiked were nearly all in good condition, especially with as busy as these trails are, with some portions seeming to have had some recent work.

We started hiking at about 7:20AM, already plenty of cars in the lot at that point. Taking the Deadhorse Creek trail meant on our way uphill we were mostly alone (saw maybe 3 or 4 others?). When we could see many people on the Skyline trail when it was visible. As the day got later, the trails got much busier. Lots of people at Panorama Point by the time we arrived, and a line to use the toilet. 

We saw marmots, pika, lots of squirrels, mountain goats, and a black bear! Definitely a great day to have brought my telephoto lens with me. The black bear was off of the Golden Gate trail, pretty far off trail, seemed to be happy eating berries. 

It was definitely a busy day out on the trails. Would definitely encourage people to bring your patience and remember people hike at different paces if you’re hiking at a place like Paradise on a nice sunny day like yesterday was.