Mt. Rainier Hike
Mt Rainier is a common sight anywhere in the Seattle area, but it is another thing to see it up close. One of the best places to view the majestic peak is from the Sunrise visitor center. The drive up to the visitor center has glimpses of the snow covered peak as it rises through the forests and up above the treeline. At 6,400ft in elevation Sunrise puts you right amongst the peaks of the mountains surrounding rainier and is great for hikes that don’t require lots of elevation gain to get to wonderful vistas.
From near the visitor center on the way up to Sourdough ridge there is a great view of Rainier with some nice foreground.
Along the ridge there are great views on both sides. Cliffs, forests, and alpine fields dominate the landscape of this wilderness.
Hiking up onto Boroughs Mt. gives great views of the mountain over the high tundra.
On the way back down through the alpine forest turning around we had a great view of the cloud shrouded mountain with the glacier running down its side into the river at the base.
I look forward to the next time I get to visit this national park. I hope to spend more time high in these mountains soaking up the views.
