The colors of fall make Paradise on Mount Rainier a slice of heaven.
You’ll find incredible fall colors on the Sunrise side of Mount Rainier. Fall is also the perfect time to catch the sunrise at Sunrise as the sun comes up a little later.
A free day entering Mount Rainier National Park on Saturday is a great opportunity for a fall road trip.
Is this the autumn you finally fill your lungs with a deep breath of crisp mountain air?
Whether it’s your first visit or your 50th, you’ll be among people from all around the world who come to explore the Mount Rainier area, including a temperate rainforest, scenic steam train rides, horseback riding, ziplining, hiking and so much more. The kids are back in school and it’s time for the grownups to come out and play. The mountain is waiting for you.
Autumn may be the most beautiful season atop the mountain. Bring your camera to capture the scenery provided by the red huckleberry and larch, cottonwoods, willows, elderberry, aspen, tamarack and evergreen trees. Some say the fall colors start a few weeks earlier on the Sunrise side of Mount Rainier.
For an easy hike head to the Tipsoo Lake area. The fall colors on the Naches Peak Loop are a must-see. Fremont Lookout is a wonderful place to look for mountain goats as they tend to be out and about even more as the crowds go away. And for those up to a challenging hike trek out to Third Burroughs Mountain.
While the roads are still open, you can cruise the scenic byways to take in the golden light of the early morning sunrises or sunsets. The Sunrise portion of Mount Rainier National Park is the second most visited location in the park because it’s the highest point that can be reached by vehicle. On clear days, Sunrise provides breathtaking views and nearly 360-degree vistas of the valley, Mount Rainier, Mount Adams and the Emmons glacier. Not only are the colors spectacular as the sun hits Mount Rainier, but dawn is the ideal time to spot wildlife like elk, foxes, bears, marmots and more.
The scenery and trail system are best visited in early fall as the road to Sunrise usually closes around Columbus Day. Sunrise is located 60 miles northeast of the Nisqually Entrance and 14 miles northwest of the Sunrise/White River turnoff on Highway 410.
Longmire and Paradise
Longmire and Paradise are iconic locations to experience the grandeur of Mount Rainier. Here you can witness old-growth temperate rainforests, waterfalls and impressive vistas. Whether you sightsee by car, or choose to get outdoors and enjoy the many stops along the way, it’s all pure Rainier. These two areas are an excellent introduction to the beauty, majesty and mystique of Mount Rainier National Park.
Paradise is the most visited part of Mount Rainier National Park; Longmire is the second and they’re only a short scenic drive from each other. Longmire offers visitors an inn and restaurant, museum, visitor center, general store and impressive views of the mountain.
Visitors to the park have enjoyed hospitality here for more than a century. Don’t miss the popular interpretative path the Trail of Shadows. After exploring Longmire you’ll want to drive up to Paradise. There’s a reason they call it Paradise. People travel from all over the world to see the famous viewpoints and meadows. As the story goes, when James Longmire’s daughter-in-law, Martha, first saw this site, she exclaimed, “Oh, what a paradise!” The Nisqually entrance leading to the Longmire and Paradise sections of Mount Rainier National Park are open year-round. Up at Paradise you’ll find trails, vistas, the Paradise Inn, and the Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center. Closing date for Paradise Inn to Oct. 2.
The Mountain Is Alive With Color
As summer turns to fall in the Pacific Northwest, it’s the perfect time for a road trip around Mount Rainier National Park. Not only can you enjoy the scenic splendor of the area’s colorful seasonal foliage and the sight of grazing elk, you can also hunt the hills for wild mushrooms, blueberries and huckleberries while there are fewer folks on the trails.
Keep an eye out for deer, elk, and the ever-elusive Sasquatch, Washington state’s legendary humanoid creature and undefeated hide and seek champ. Leaf peepers: Vine maple, high elevation huckleberry bushes and larch (tamarack) are the main sources of fall color, and they begin turning in late September. Larch is golden and visible after much of the other color is gone. Larch is only found in the Chinook Pass and White Pass areas among the other evergreen trees. It is worth searching out, because the larch is localized and unique in Washington state.
Spectacular displays are seen until the snow begins to fall in November. On the White Pass Scenic Byway, U.S. Highway 12, fall colors are climaxed by the Larch on the east side of White Pass in November. Cottonwoods, willows, elderberry, aspen, tamarack (Western larch), and every deciduous tree and shrub is in transition and the colors will amaze you.
Foraging in the Fall
Within the Park:
Non commercial berry picking is allowed within the national park. Two quarts per person per day of huckleberries, blackberries, thimbleberries and salmonberries may be gathered by hand. This small quantity has been determined to not adversely affect park wildlife, the reproductive potential of the plant species, or otherwise adversely affect park resources. Berry picking tip: Huckleberries are best at Indian Henry’s Hunting Grounds and along the Noble Knob trail.
Outside the Park:
The area just outside the southern boundaries of the park is also well known for huckleberry picking, which grow in open areas at elevations over 4,000 feet. Three gallons per person are allowed (non-commercial) without a permit.
Mushroom Picking:
Season: Late summer till the first frost. Mushroom varieties: chanterelles, matsutake, boletus, morels, shaggy mane, pig’s ear, hen-of-the-woods and brain mushrooms. Dozens of good edible mushroom species begin to appear in late summer. Most species need the first fall rains to come before they appear. Some species wait until the first frosts. Mushrooms can be poisonous, so mushroom hunters need positively identified species before picking.
It is important for everyone to be aware of property ownership. The Gifford Pinchot and Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forests, as well as the Department of Natural Resources, may require a permit for limited collections. Morel Mushrooms are now being found at lower elevations near Packwood, Greenwater and Ashford. A permit is required to collect in national forests. Non-commercial mushroom picking is allowed within the National Park, up to two quarts per person per day. Mushroom collecting tip: The hike between Narada Falls and Longmire is the best area for locating edible fungi.
