Spotlight: Holiday at Mt. Rainier National Park

A winter getaway on an active volcano

Between snowshoeing, skiing, snowboarding, mountaineering, camping, lodges, inns and cabins, one holiday at Washington's Mt. Rainier won't be enough.

By Christina Scannapiego
Recreation.gov

Find It: Mt. Rainier National park is located in the west-central part of Washington State.

Getting There: It’s a two- to three-hour drive from Seattle, Tacoma, Yakima and Portland.

What You’ll Find: A massive stratovolcano located 54 miles southeast of Seattle—also the highest mountain in Washington and the Cascade Range. Glaciers, rainforest, alpines, rustic architecture, mountainous landscape, meadows, inspiration.

Stay Here: The National Park Inn at Longmore and the Inn at Paradise are located within park boundaries. There are tons of accommodations just outside the park, including lodges, inns, spas, cabins and rustic retreats.

If you love roughing it, camp at Mt. Rainier’s four developed campgrounds in warmer months (generally between Memorial Day and Labor Day). For winter camping, adventurers can obtain backcountry camping permits all year round.

Make Sure You: Check out the backcountry camp conditions and ready all the backcountry camping information you can before you do go winter camping, though. Download or get a map of the park’s backcountry camps and wilderness.

But most importantly, get out and play in the snow.

Try This: Microbrews at the Alpine Inn, ski or snowboard Crystal Mountain, après at the BullWheel Pub and Grill, cross-country ski the largest hut-to-hut trail system in North America for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, ride the Mt. Rainier gondola to the Crystal Mountain summit, enjoy Thanksgiving dinner at the National Park Inn Thanksgiving buffet or visit the Northwest Trek Wildlife Park.

Don’t Forget: Some areas of the park, including Sunrise, White River, Ohanapecosh, State Routes 410 and 123 and the Stevens Canyon Road close in mid-October or early November until summertime.

Gear Up: Bring whatever you need for enjoying the mountains.