Is this Washington’s Best Hike?

You decide.

Start at the Paradise Visitor Center and take the trail to Myrtle Falls.

Then leave the crowds behind and keep on going, up, up, up!

Past the 6,400 elevation mark you’ll enter the land of polished rock and wide-open skies; if you’re lucky, you’ll have the place all to yourself like we did!

With plenty of streams, brooks, and wildflowers.

What more could you want in a hike?

Okay then, how about a friendly marmot?

I rest my case.

The Golden Gate to Skyline Trail on the flanks of Mt. Rainier – it’s got everything!

Sharing with Sunday Stills, Trails and Paths.

~ Susanne

30 Comments on “Is this Washington’s Best Hike?

  1. Oh my gosh, it’s sooo beautiful up there!! ❤️😊 The Marmot is so cute! You are lucky to have the health to hike such beautiful places. My heart and back won’t allow me to do that anymore. 😭

  2. Yep, this trail has everything, Susanne. Wow, gorgeous views, love those falls, and the elevation! I’m hoping to take a trip over there in July. I’ll have to pick your brain. Do you belong to WA trails association? I still do.

    • It was a wonderful hike for sure! Paradise is already 5,400 ft., so the elevation gain was only 1,000 ft. on the hike itself. The scenery was fabulous, wildflowers gorgeous, and so many cute marmots! You will love whatever you decide to do, and I’d be happy to give you my input! So much to choose from!

  3. Oh, how beautiful the world is by seeing these amazing photos, Sussanne. You have a very beautiful hike, indeed. The flowers are dazzling

    • Yes, there are so many wonderful hikes in Washington! This is one of my favorites! I loved being in alpine country at Mt Rainier, with waterfalls, wildflowers and marmots.

  4. Dear Susanne
    It looks like we know it from Switzerland.
    It seems to be a great hike.
    The Fab Four of Cley
    🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      • Dear Susanne
        Actually, you can find in most places on the Alps, in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. But you don’t need to go up to 4300 m like on Mt Rainier. You have this scenery already at 3000 m.
        Good luck. Switzerland is a friendly and easy holiday destination.
        The Fab Four of Cley
        🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      • Thanks for the tips! The hike we went on started at the Paradise Visitor Center at Mt. Rainier National Park, at 5,400 ft. which is only 1,645 in meters. We drove to the visitor center, then took the hike up another 1,000 ft. from 5,400 to 6,400 ft. so it wasn’t bad. We didn’t hike to the top, you have to be a mountain climber for that! 🙂 Most of the hikes we take are at lower elevations.

      • We only climb up to 2000 m when in a holiday. We live next the sea on 7 m and in a county that relatively flat. The highest ‘mountain’ here is 105 m (344 ft). Well, nothing.

  5. That does look a great hike – stunning scenery plus the bonus marmot 😀 We ran out of time to do this, having spent too long elsewhere in the park, so we only got as far as Myrtle Falls.

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