Mt. Rainier National Park - Washington

I'll keep this one short and mostly link you to better information, since I just visited for the first time and only spent a few hours in the park.  I hope to return someday to do a longer hike or backpack; or maybe I'll just pass by on the PCT.

If you go on a weekend in the summer, get out there early.  Traffic at the entrance can get really backed up and the parking at popular spots can fill-up, forcing visitors to abandon their plans in whole sections of the park.  We left Seattle at 10:00 and didn't get to Paradise until after 1:30. We managed to get one of the last spots and saw people forced to just drive through and move on.

Better maps than the one shown below can be found here.  The embedded map can at least be used to get directions.  The popular Paradise area is located on the south side of the mountain and has a network of trails that head uphill from the visitor center.

For more information on weather, climbing, permits, etc. visit the park's main page at: www.nps.gov/mora/

Deer in Paradise

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