One Day at Mt. Rainier National Park
If you only have one day to visit Mt. Rainier National Park this is the guide for you. It is definitely worth it to visit, but less than 24 hours is a tight timeline. It really does depend on your travel style and what types of activities you like. If you just plan on driving through you will have plenty of time. If you start adding in hikes, pit stops and viewpoints your timeline will start to narrow. It is highly suggested that if you have one spot in particular that you know you want to do, go directly to that spot. When we visited we drove all the way out to do the Skyline Trail and everything else was just a bonus.
Stops in this itinerary:
- Christine Falls
- Ricksecker Point (lookout)
- Narada Falls
- Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center
- Paradise Park area
- Trail of the Shadows
- Longmire Museum
Visiting from the Nisqually Entrance and heading directly to the Paradise Park area, you’ll want to get the biggest stop out of the way first. You will want to stop at Ricksecker Point on the way there, as is on a one way road. It’s a quick lookout stop to take some photos.
There are multiple hikes out of the Paradise Park parking area so you will be able to pick one as easy or as difficult as you’re comfortable with. The most popular pick is the Skyline Loop trail that is 5.7 miles and takes roughly 3.5 hours. This trail would be a bit long if you have a shortened timeline. If you want to get the basics of it, take the trail up to Glacier Vista and Panorama Point, then turn around and head back. This will cut your hike in half and still gives you beautiful views and highlights.
If you need a snack, water break, or a souvenir stop in to the Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center before you leave Paradise Park. You can get your National Park passport stamp here as well.
On your return trip, stop at Narada Falls. You can view the top of the waterfall from about 150 feet from the parking lot. The view is a little bit obstructed and you’ll only get to see the water cascading over the falls. If you have the time the trail is 2.7 miles and takes an hour and forty five-ish minutes to do the full thing. Doing the trail will give you the full view of the waterfall. Continuing on your return trip, stop at Christine Falls and take a quick photo of the famous waterfall. Be sure to slow down as you come up on it, the bridge is narrow and it comes up quick.
The Longmire Museum, National Park Inn, Wilderness Information Center and Trail of the Shadows is your next stop. The parking lots here can fill up mid-day but traffic tends to filter through. If you can’t find a spot try looping around a couple times. You will be able to walk from one stop to the next so you won’t have to worry about moving. The Trail of the Shadows is on the other side of the road-cross by the National Park Inn. If you have seen the Grove of Patriarchs trail, the Trail of the Shadows is the next best thing. This area is a great spot to rest for the drive out, have a picnic, or just hangout.
The drive out of the park is equally as beautiful, the road is surrounded by huge trees. After you leave the park you are free to continue on with your own plans. This itinerary took us 6 hours from park entrance to park exit on the 4th of July weekend. To give us credit, we hike fast and move through things fast. 6 hours is probably the absolute minimum amount of time you want to spend doing this portion of the park. If you stop for lunch, bathroom breaks, additional hikes, or just want to sit and enjoy the scenery, tack on some extra time.