TravelMorgan Stone GretherNarada Falls, Washington, Tacoma-Rainier Tour 2016, Mount Rainier, waterfalls, travel

Rainier Day 1: Narada Falls

TravelMorgan Stone GretherNarada Falls, Washington, Tacoma-Rainier Tour 2016, Mount Rainier, waterfalls, travel
Rainier Day 1: Narada Falls

Continuing my coverage of my July 2016 adventures for Travel Tacoma and Visit Rainier...

Up the road from Longmire and the Trail of Shadows is spectacular Narada waterfalls on the Paradise River. There are two sections of the falls, with the larger just under 170 feet long. Impressive! You can pull right off the highway to see it. Additionally you can hike down a short trail to the Inspiration Point viewing area near the base for a better view; it's a little steep but well worth it. 

Nice person in Portland, Oregon, and beyond.

TravelMorgan Stone GretherLongmire InnTrail of the Shadows, hiking, Washington, pacific northwest, Longmire, Tacoma-Rainier Tour 2016, Mount Rainier, trees, mountains, travel

Rainier Day 1: Trail of the Shadows Hike, Longmire

After lunch we entered the Mount Rainier National Park and took the Trail of the Shadows hike across the road from the Longmire National Park Inn. It's a short hike, but with lots of quick changes of scenery to make it interesting to all ages. As you leave the inn, you get breathtaking views of Rainier and then you travel through swampy meadows and into the forest whose giant fir trees give the trail its name. There are also several springs along the trail, including the vibrantly colored and slightly poisonous Iron Mike spring, and even a restored homestead cabin from the 19th century.

TravelMorgan Stone GretherLongmire InnTrail of the Shadows, hiking, Washington, pacific northwest, Longmire, Tacoma-Rainier Tour 2016, Mount Rainier, trees, mountains, travel
Rainier Day 1: Trail of the Shadows Hike, Longmire
TravelMorgan Stone Gretherparadise lodgeTacoma-Rainier Tour 2016, Mount Rainier, Paradise Washington, Washington, hiking, mountains, travel

Rainier Day 1: Hiking in Paradise

Near the end of Day 1 in the Mount Rainier National Park, we stopped at the satisfyingly appropriately named Paradise, Washington, for some hiking and then a picnic dinner. The views were beyond description! And the weather for us was perfection, as the fog burned off Rainier just as we started on the trail. When you visit the park, Paradise is a must-see!

TravelMorgan Stone Gretherparadise lodgeTacoma-Rainier Tour 2016, Mount Rainier, Paradise Washington, Washington, hiking, mountains, travel
Rainier Day 1: Hiking in Paradise
TravelMorgan Stone GretherNarada Falls, waterfalls, pacific northwest, Mount Rainier, mountains, trees, travel, Washington, national park, Elaine Schimek, Tacoma, Tacoma-Rainier Tour 2021

Narada Falls

One of — if not the very —best waterfalls in Mount Rainier National Park…

TravelMorgan Stone GretherNarada Falls, waterfalls, pacific northwest, Mount Rainier, mountains, trees, travel, Washington, national park, Elaine Schimek, Tacoma, Tacoma-Rainier Tour 2021
Narada Falls