Best View of Mt Rainier...Outside Mt Rainier National Park?
 

I have a friend arriving for a visit this afternoon and he will depart on Sunday (to head down to Portland via train). A visit to Mt Rainier is on his "must do" list, although I don't think he is much of a hiker. The initial thought was to do this on Sunday:

* Leave Seattle in a.m.
* Head to Renton to see Jimi Hendrix grave (another "must do" on his list)
* Go to Mt Rainier Nat Park (Paradise)
* Head to Tacoma; visit Glass Museum before getting on train around 6:00ish

Frankly, I get exhausted and crabby just thinking of this itinerary. I'm also *really* concerned about traffic and parking availability at Paradise on Sunday (gorgeous weather, kids not in school...think it will be busy).

I suppose we could do Mt Rainier on Sat (without the other two stops), but we wouldn't be able to depart until lunch time. Another option is to suggest he rent a car on Friday and go to the park then (in hopes that it wouldn't be as crowded). I'm pretty sure this option will be the least appealing to him.

So my question is... Do you agree that this itinerary is a little too optimistic? Are there any great places to view Mt Rainier without going to the park itself? There's a few great views heading south on I5, but I know he'd rather be able to stand outside and take a picture versus pointing and shooting through my windshield. :)

Thanks!

The farther you are away from the mountain, the easier it is to see in its entirety. We went up to Paradise last Wednesday and didn't see anything...because of low clouds and drizzle. On a nice day you can see the glaciers from Paradise Inn, which is 5500 feet up a 14,400 foot mountain, but you can't see the mountain because you are on it. Check the weather by going to www.accuweather.com and putting "paradise inn, wa" in the search box.

A better idea would be to get on state route 169 and go to Black Diamond; the BD Bakery has an eye-popping view of the mountain...if it is "out" (visible).

I live in Renton and would consider a visit to Hendrix's grave a waste of time, but different strokes for different folks.

No view of the mountain outside the park is going to be anything like being IN the park. There are certainly great views the closer you get but I don't really think it's worth driving to, say, Puyallup, to see the mountain hovering over strip malls. That's not really much different than just looking at a picture. And if he did just want to take a picture why not just go to Lake Washington, where the mountain always looks so nice over the lake. Being there is also seeing the alpine meadows, old growth forests, and glacial rivers, and being able to pull out on the scenic overlooks.

But I agree that the itinerary won't work, and that you might have trouble with crowds and parking. Can you see Jimi's grave tonight, tomorrow night or Friday night? Can't you do the Glass Museum Saturday? Or, put him on the Sounder to Tacoma to do the glass museum himself on Friday. Then you can get up early Sunday and get to Paradise.

My favorite view of Rainier is from the window of the plane heading home. :)

I suppose that Sunday itinerary would work if you left early enough, but it doesn't sound like a lot of fun (would be more so if you left out Renton and got to the park as early as possible).

We were at Mt Rainier NP yesterday, arriving over Chinook Pass from Yakima. We went to Sunrise and then to Paradise where, at about 1:00 p.m., the parking lot was overflowing with cars. Parking was extended about a half mile down the loop road that goes out of Paradise and back to the main road.

On the other hand, Seattle-Renton-Longmire-Tacoma is about 165 miles and 4.5 hours of driving. Therefore, if you are determined to make your friend's dreams come true--it is doable. In the park, you can get great views from Longmire, and there is a restaurant there. If time allows, you could drive a few more miles to Christine Falls and then a few miles more to where you see a sign that says "viewpoint" for more great views of the mountain without getting entangled in the mess at Paradise.

(I am assuming your friend will board the train in Tacoma.)

And, if you continue just a couple miles past Christine Falls to Ricksecker Point (6 miles past Longmire) there is a one way scenic loop road with fantastic views.

I read in your original post a reluctance to go to the mountain itself if a good picture was available from outside the park, and I reiterate that the dining room of the Black Diamond Bakery fills the bill. The whole south end of the main dining room is a humonguous picture window, and when the mountain is "out" it fills the window. Food is good, too.

My favorite "outside the park" view is from the Bainbridge ferry, with The Mountain rising above the water.

But seeing Rainier, inside or outside the park, is pretty weather dependent. The Seattle forecast for this weekend is "partly cloudy". Here is the Mt. Rainier forecast:

FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY. FREEZING
LEVEL 13500 FEET.
.SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY. FREEZING LEVEL
12500 FEET.

So it looks like Sunday might be the better day. But you might check the park webcams and decide then.

And if you do decide to go, consider Sunrise instead of Paradise. It is a more pleasant drive, with no parking problems at the end. And the view of Rainier from there is, I think, more spectacular---not the lush flower fields of Paradise in the foreground, but the mountain itself is more covered with ice and snow.

Bobmrg - you read my reluctance correctly. :)

I asked my friend last night what he expects to see at the park, and he said "a big rock," so he has that right! He also said, "isn't there a lake there?" And from what I can tell there is NOT. Can you confirm? I've been camping there once and know there is a river and some streams...but for the life of me can't think of a lake in the park (or see one on a map). I'm starting to wonder if he has seen a pic of Mt Rainier from the view of Gig Harbor or maybe with Lake Washington in the forefront.

In any case, I nixed the Hendrix + Rainier + Glass museum itinerary. If we do Rainier, it will be all we do before he needs to show up at Amtrak in Tacoma around 5:00.

I think my reluctance in dedicating a day to Rainier is that it is his first time in Seattle and there is so much to do that it seems a shame to dedicate a long day to Rainier. I'm really hoping to go to Bainbridge on Sat (since I haven't been either) and am glad to have my suspicions confirmed regarding the view of Mt Rainier...if it's not cloudy of course.

Thanks for the tips everyone.

There are hundreds of lakes in the parks. Also quite a few rivers. Your friend has probably seen one of the famous shots of Rainier over, perhaps, Reflection Lakes, like this one:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mallady/1350239935/

I can't imagine how it's a "shame" to spend a day at Rainier. I really can't think of a better tourist thing to do! Especially compared to Bainbridge, which is a nice ferry ride but that's about it.

I agree that the best view of Rainier is from a distance. Once you're *on* the mountain you don't really see it. It's beautiful countryside certainly, but you don't get that "wow factor" imho.

Well...I can actually think of lots of better tourist things to do then to blow 10 hours on a trip to Mt Rainier -- especially for someone who is not an outdoorsy person, whose primary interest is in taking some nice pictures, and who has never been to Seattle before and is overwhelmed with all of the wonderful things to do in (and closer to) the city.

I do very much appreciate the info on the lakes, though, as well as the link to the picture. In the end, it's my good friend's vacation and I will honor his preference and do my best to make it a great day trip no matter what he decides.

He also asked if we could take a day trip to San Juan Islands, so I don't think he fully grasps the distances. I'm thinking Whidbey might be a possibility though...

A day trip to the San Juans isn't completely out of the question, but Whidbey would certainly be easier at this time of year.

This may be a case of having to play it by ear. If the mountain is out on Sunday morning, you can either go (early!) or plan on someplace like Gig Harbor later in the day, then a quick hop to the Amtrak station in Tacoma, bye-bye. If the mountain's out, the view from Gig Harbor is superb. Or you might think about going down to Tacoma via Vashon Island. The ferry rides are enjoyable, and there can be superb views of Rainier from the island, e.g. http://tinyurl.com/kvxhfw.

You could do Jimi and the MoG on Saturday afternoon, grab a bite in Gig Harbor and take pix if the mountain's out, then spend Sunday in Seattle, or maybe over on the peninsula, ending with the train from Seattle rather than Tacoma.

Excellent suggestion, Gardyloo. Thanks!!

Years ago, I remember seeing the best views of Mt. Rainier from Ft. Lewis, Washington. I have no idea if they let civilians on the base, but it was impressive.

If you want to get an incredible view of Mt Rainier without going into the park, go to a little town called Mineral. There is a very small lake, there, that has two hills behind it and Rainier sits smack dab between those two hills. One of two ways to get the spectacular view is to rent a boat and row out to the proper spot. Alternatively, go to one of the two houses on the shore of the lake that have that view and see if the owner would mind you going down to the lake for a quick view.

Next time I'm down there, I will take one of these two approaches. I've been there twice and the owners were not home and the boat rental place was closed. I'll keep trying, tho.

I realize that this is an old thread, but perhaps someone will appreciate my input. The bakery at Black Mountain has an acceptable view, but hard to avoid power lines unless you are on the rear dining deck.

The best unobstructed view we found was at the entrance to Tahoma National Cemetery. There is a good example on their website. If you go there, please respect the hallowed memory of the thousands of Veterans buried there and conduct yourself accordingly.