3 Stunning Alpine Hikes For The Perfect Weekend In Rainier National Park

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I didn’t visit Mount Rainier National Park until I was 27 years old. Which seeing as I grew up in the Pacific Northwest in the shadow of the snow-capped super volcano, should be a crime. Mount Rainier is stunning. & its national park… somehow, even more so. But like most visitors from nearby Seattle, I only had 2 days to explore the park. Fortunately, you can do 3 breath-taking hikes in MRNP over the course of a weekend. Here’s where to hike for the perfect weekend at Mount Rainier National Park. 

Best Time to Visit Rainier NP 

Being so close to the 13 million outdoorsy residents of Seattle- Rainier is a busy national park. Especially during the sunny summer months. 

But if you want to enjoy MRNP without the crowds I highly recommend timing your visit for the “shoulder” season (late august -early September) or simply visiting during the week instead of a weekend. 

The best time to visit? During the wildflower bloom in late July/early August. Just be sure to visit not on a weekend. Tuesday tends to be the quietest day in the park. 

Your Rainier National Park Weekend Itinerary

Let’s say you have one single weekend (or two to three-day stretch) to visit the park. You’re definitely not going to be able to deep dive into all 5 regions of the national park (Paradise, Longmire, Sunrise, Carbon River, Ohanapecosh). Here’s what you should do.

Day One in Mount Rainier National Park 

Here’s what you should do on your first day for the perfect weekend in Mount Rainier National Park. 

Keep in mind that we travel in our campervan that we built for under $4,000 so we aren’t constrained by hotels or reliant on restaurants for food. I highly recommend that you pack food for each meal that you plan to have within the park even without a campervan. There are very limited resupplies and no restaurants once inside. 

We drove to the park from Seattle the evening before & wild camped at **this location** for free. If you need tips for stealth camping just check out my full blog post. This is just outside the region of the park known as “Sunrise”. Not only is it a great place for watching sunrise but it’s also where the first hike on this list is. 

Fremont Lookout Trail (6 mile rt)

Start your day early (like before 7 AM early), to get this high-altitude trail all to yourself. The elevation climb is slow as you trudge across wide-open vistas nearer to the glaciated peak of Rainier. The route passes through rolling hills with increasingly more sweeping vistas until you reach the iconic Lookout Tower the trail is named for. It’s a relatively easy hike for those who are in decent shape with a great payoff on a clear day.

Snow & Bench Lake (2.5 miles rt)

Knock off two picturesque alpine lakes with one stone. This short-ish trail climbs steadily, first to the quiet and less visited bench lake- just follow the trail through the bushes, and then onward to the icy blue waters of Snow Lake. When you reach the lake take a left toward the campsites for the best vistas and easiest access to the water. If it’s a clear hot day I promise it’s worth taking a quick plunge in the glacial runoff to soothe your aching muscles for tomorrow. 

Day Two In Mount Rainier National Park 

After a long day of hiking on day one, you’ll want to end your day by driving to Inspiration Village or the Paradise region of the park. 

The drive itself is stunning & picturesque enough to keep you wide awake. Fortunately, if you’re in a campervan you can sleep here for free. Otherwise, you should book hotels FAR in advance.

Skyline Trail (6.2 mile rt)

Another early morning start will guarantee you get the alpine meadows all to yourself. Try for 7 AM. Today will be a tough one & without sunshine (or at the very least a partially sunny morning) this trail IS NOT WORTH ATTEMPTING.

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This is however the most staggeringly beautiful trail in the park. Purple wildflowers carpet the thick green meadow with a ribbon of paved trail pouring over the hillside leading to the foot of Rainier’s glaciers. It’s truly a sight to behold and the more you hike the better it gets. Just be sure to hike clockwise, hitting the meadow early and first. That way you don’t have to fight the crowds that flock here in the afternoon, scaring away all the chunky marmots. You’ll follow the trail above the tree line and past trickling streams of melting glaciers to gushing waterfalls near the end of the trail. 

You can use the Golden Gate Trail as a bailout point. But if you can muster the strength to finish the loop it truly is spectacular. It’s one of my favorite trails I’ve ever hiked in the US. 

What to add to your MRNP itinerary on a slightly longer visit.

There are tons to see in Mount Rainier National Park and you will undoubtedly fall in love like us and plan plenty of return trips. Here are a few trails and attractions to add to your MRNP itinerary. 

Burroughs Trail (Add to Fremont Lookout Trail) 

If you want to add on even more epic views on the return of Fremont Fire Lookout climb up to Burroughs trail to stare right into the face of Rainier. The fork is easy to find. You’ll add some elevation and it might be asking a lot to do this & hike to the alpine lakes in one day but it’s worth it if you have the extra time. 

Comet Falls (3.2 mile rt)

We planned to do this hike after the Skyline but our legs were wrecked. This waterfall is set in one of the less-visited regions of the park and ends with a rocky climb up massive boulders to a stunning and depending on the season powerful waterfall. & the best part? You’ll often be one of the only people on the trail. 

Reflection Lake 

Odds are you’ll see this stunning lake as you drive from snow lake trailhead to skyline BUT it’s worth a mention here. When the water is perfectly on a blue sky day still you can clearly see the reflection of Rainier in its waters. & although you can’t swim or SUP here the water is surprisingly warm.  

Is vanlife at Mount Rainier NP easy?

Yes! 

Van-dwelling at national parks is real hit or miss. While Yosemite or Glacier NP can be impossible to stealth camp in, parks in Utah are notoriously lax on kicking out car campers. Fortunately, Mount Rainier National Park falls into the camp of the latter. They even have a designated (free) overnight car camping lot right near the skyline trailhead, no backcountry permit necessary! 

In other park regions, we found it easiest to camp just outside the park boundaries and found awesome stealth camping spots on iOverlander. 

Try to gas up outside the park though (far outside if you can) because it gets more and more expensive the further in you venture. The GasBuddy App is our go-to for locating cheap gas near us. 

Mount Rainier National Park catapulted itself to the top of my favorite US National parks list with a single visit. It feels remote, rugged, and is filled with impressive vistas and iconic trails that allow for those awe-inspiring moments that we head to the wilderness to experience. Visit the park and be sure to let me know what trails you would add to your perfect weekend in Rainier National Park!  

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