We stayed at a Harvest Host just outside Mount Rainier for 1 night so that we could get into the park early and snag a first come first serve campsite the next morning. Our Harvest Host was a little Ukranian Bed and Breakfast where they allowed RVs and Trailers to park in front overnight. In return we purchased some yummy food from their restaurant. There was also an *amazing* park/playground just down the road that the kids had a great time playing at. I mean AMAZING. The bathrooms were pristine and fully accessible, all of the playground equipment was super well maintained and functional, etc.
Our plan to stay close to the park worked and we were able to snag a campsite early the next morning at Cougar Rock campground between Longmire and Paradise for 2 more nights (which was amazing because the campground was full before 11 the following day, on a Monday).
We thought we had seen snow in Crater Lake, but snow has new meaning in Mount Rainier. It didn’t even compute for Andrew when I told him the trail he wanted to do was under snow and we shouldn’t take it. The guide book said it was accessible (in the summer). Currently that trail is still under about 4 ft of packed snow and the waterfall we wanted to see is not visible because it’s also under snow. I knew things were serious when I saw everyone in the parking lot strapping on ski boots and getting out ice picks. We were not equipped. We passed on that trail and sought out lower altitudes with no snow.
There are several waterfalls easily accessible from the main roads. We took a drive through the park on day 1 after dropping off the trailer and went to the south east side of the park. We hiked the Grove of the Patriarchs trail through an old growth forest. There was a wobbly suspension bridge and a super blue river. It was a beautiful hike that was easy to moderate.
On the way back to the trailer we stopped at Narada falls just off the road for a quick photo. Our hiking day was complete pretty early as a ton of people packed the park (and trails) in the afternoon. We retreated to the trailer and built a campfire, completed Jr Ranger books, and hung out the rest of the day.
On day 2 we went back up to Paradise and got our Jr Ranger badges and visited the historic Paradise Inn. We drove down to Longmire to check out the museum (which was sadly closed due to Covid still, but I got a passport stamp), and to hike the Trail of Shadows. I was really hoping the trail would be super spooky but it ended up being a historical trail about buildings that used to surround the area.
Fun fact: it seems many national parks were also health spas back in the day before NPS took over and phased out those old businesses and buildings. Longmire had one of these health spas due to the presence of several natural glacial springs that pop up toward the bottom of the mountain. (Big Bend also had a previous health spa area and a hot spring you can still swim in). Hot Springs National Park still maintains and operates the hot springs as part of the national park. Do you know of any other national parks with a health spa past?
We ended our day early again as the park filled up with people. We had a relaxing afternoon in our campsite just reading and playing and relaxing.
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