Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Oo-la-la! A Fall Trip to Mt Rainier
On our last sunny Saturday we headed to Mt Rainier for a fall hike, and we took the Stevens Canyon entrance on the east side of the park and avoided the crowds.
The mountain was out and glorious,
and interesting clouds filled the sky. (Exactly what is that approaching the mountain with laughter proceeding from his mouth??)
We took the road less traveled through tunnels, quiet and deserted, to Box Canyon.
We had the trail mostly to ourselves.
Box Canyon is a narrow slot canyon carved by the Muddy Fork of the Cowlitz River and the river can be seen some 180 feet below the bridge. More on that, here.
After our walk, we continued up the road, enjoying the fall color and more interesting views of the mountain,
on our way to Reflection Lakes, for one of the best photo ops in the park. (It didn’t disappoint.)
Then it was up to Paradise where the crowds were thick, and the parking was full, so we didn’t stop. No need, we’d already had our fill of awesome views.
We headed back down the mountain and left the park around 4 pm. exiting at the Nisqually entrance where the cars extended for almost 2 miles to get in!
We had lucked out.
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 
Wow!! You certainly got some fabulous shots. I love the interesting cloud formations as well as the remarkable scenery. .
Thanks so much! It was a perfect fall day, and we were so happy to take the road less traveled!
Gorgeous! I have to take Alex there one day – we could make it a fun outing for all of us!
Yes, definitely! It’s close by and absolutely fabulous any time of year!
So beautiful! Wow, Susanne! I don’t blame you for passing up the crowds… Have a dandy weekend!
Thanks, John!
You’re welcome. ☺️
Fabulous day, fabulous views, and some great clouds too!
Thanks, Graham. It was a perfect day, made even better by taking the road less traveled!
Beautiful photos. I would enjoy visiting there, but it is too far away. I won’t leave my cats overnight.
Thank you! We’re lucky it’s just a day trip for us. ☺️
Nice views! A bit of knowledge about the area comes in handy. 😉
Thank you! Yes, we’re very familiar with all the entrances to the national park which is less than two hours south of us. It was particularly crowded at Paradise, where most people go, especially since it was a sunny Saturday! (We usually go weekdays to avoid the crowds.)
Wow! Those are some beautiful photos!!
Thanks so much! 😊
The benefits of local knowledge, doing it ‘backwards’ 😃 I envy you that Reflection Lake view as we saw it only in fog, but we loved Box Canyon in those conditions! Your skies are awesome too – I reckon that first cloud is a whale 🐋
Absolutely superb scenic photos, Susanne. The main header shot should be on tourism websites!
Best wishes, Pete.
Wow, thanks so much, Pete! It’s hard to go wrong with Mt Rainier on a sunny fall day!
Looks like a beautiful, wonderful day!
Yes, truly! ☺️