We finished up our four hour drive from Anacortes and the San Juan Islands at the lodge in Mt Rainier National Park. We had to drive for a while through the park itself and saw amazing views of the mountains, covered in trees with big valleys and rivers, and snowy caps in the distance.
We made a stop at reflection lakes which was beautiful in the late afternoon light. The mountains and trees were reflected in the pools and the water was so clear and still.
We kept driving for another 20 minutes or so and finally reached the lodge. We checked in to our little room, which had a lovely view of the trees, and then went to explore. There was a hiking trail which started from outside the lodge so we went to see the short trail connected to that.
It took us to myrtle falls, and because it was late in the day, there weren't so many people around and I managed to get some great shots with no-one in the background. It was a smallish waterfall with a bridge across the top and a fantastic view of snowy Mt Rainier in the back. The meadow was all green with a few summer wildflowers still hanging on.
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| You see our lodge through the trees? |
On the way back I tucked into a little copse of trees, and there was a deer right there!
At the start of the trail there was a sign saying that a lot of the trails still have snow on them until July, and all the roads in the park are closed October - May. Only three months without snow makes for a very intense summer bloom!
We went back to the lodge and got some noodles for dinner from the cafe. We'd chosen the room with a communal bathroom (because it was cheapest) so the lodge had provided us with big robes and slippers to wear to the toilets and showers. It worked out surprisingly well and we never had to wait for a shower.
In the morning we got some breakfast from the cafe and a sandwich to go, and headed onto the skyline trail properly.
We began by going through the very green meadow. At one point the undergrowth started to rustle, and out popped a little head. And another! There were marmots hopping about, all across the trail. We also saw a mountain goat across the hills at one point.
The chipmunks and squirrels were especially tame, and actually came up and tapped you with their paws to ask for treats.
The trail was about 5.5 miles around with a few extras thrown in so we could see some more viewpoints and a loop so it was all different. It started with quite a few trees around, then evened out to hilly meadows, then as we climbed it became more sparse and rockier. Eventually there was no vegetation and we were walking past patches of snow. We didn't climb Mt Rainier (it's very big) but we got very close to the base!
The walk down took a different route which was nice and we crossed a couple of streams as we reentered the forest. On one stretch we even caught sight of a bear on the hill opposite. It was probably a black bear, (even though it was brown) and was moseying about in the grass.
We'd stopped for several snack breaks and for lunch, but because we'd set off so early it was only half three by the time we made it back the lodge. We sat for a bit in the visitor centre, which was the only place with Wi-Fi, and had an ice-cream. I found a souvenir map and we explored the exhibits, and then we decided to do another hike before it got dark.
This was the hike to Narada falls and it started with a mile and a half downhill. We passed several smaller waterfalls as we followed the river through the forest. We crossed the road about halfway down and kept going until we got to the visitor area of the falls. It was a very tall fall, not too much water at the end of summer, but plenty of space to go.
It was very pretty in the evening light with all the trees around it. The climb back up was hard going at the end of the day, but we eventually made it.
On the way we stopped because there was another deer on the trail. As we watched, another, smaller, head popped up and even started walking towards us. We watched for a bit and then another small head popped out! One doe and two fawns watched us on the trail until something spooked them and they ran off.
We went out to dinner in the lodge restaurant that night, although it was a little underwhelming for how hungry we were, so we went back to the cafe to pick up some cakes for dessert.
That was nearly it for Mt Rainier National Park, and the next morning we got our breakfast and ate it on the deck of the lodge, watching the day begin. On the way out we stopped at the Longmire site and walked the trail of shadows. It was a short one mile loop going through the trees with interpretive signage about the original builders in the area and the hot springs they used. There were still some springs around, but they were pretty cold!
After that, we made our way out of the park and into the next one. As Mitchell said, he drove for oodles and it did take us a while to get to the next place.
We had to stop for gas in the middle of the nowhere and to pump the gas you literally had to start it by pumping a lever at the side, and then watch the numbers flick over on an analogue display.
I will continue in part 3!
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