Paradise Meadows & Skyline Trailhead

hiked on 10/10, still some fall colors and hailed at the summit. great views even though none of rainier. october is always a toss up so don’t plan your visit too far ahead of time! also the trail i will say was harder than i assumed it would be, and the trail was slightly difficult to follow in some rocky patches. but overall very well maintained and a great hike!

Though challenging for someone who doesn’t hike often from Florida I would do this trail a million times for these crazy views! We saw a few mountain goat and a couple marmot! It was a clear day and we could see Mt St Helen and Mt Cook from the trail!! Perfect day! Take your time on the incline. Decline hurt my toes cuz my feet kept sliding forward. I need better boots.

Absolutely stunning and worth the drive. My husband and I drove down from Seattle to do this hike on Labor Day — it was busy, as expected, but we got there around 7am and were still able to find parking easily. I wouldn’t recommend showing up much later than that, otherwise it will be hot, packed, and impossible to park without walking a far distance. We did the full Skyline Trail which was 5.5 miles and absolutely loved it. Online it said the route would take around 4.5 hours but we finished it in about 2.5-3 including a snack break at the top. If you have elderly or kids joining, I can see it taking longer. We didn’t need a timed reservation for this side of the park which was wonderful (Sunrise side required them) and purchased our park pass at the gate, easy! 10/10 recommend if you are considering it!

This is one of the most beautiful trail I have hiked on. It was very tiring since almost all the entire trail was a climb uphill but it was worth it. I hiked up to panorama point and went back. There was a lot of snow. I also saw many marmots, especially in the meadow area along with many squirrels and chipmunks. Very wonderful hike!

The Skyline Loop is unforgettable, it's so gorgeous!!! I started on the Western side and made my way up to Panorama Point for some awesome views, but the Eastern half of the loop was so out-of-this-world. Switchbacks coming down from the snowy, rocky peak through alpine meadows busy with butterflies, multiple waterfalls... It's unreal. Best to get there early in the day (8am or earlier) because parking is super crowded, but it's absolutely worthwhile even if you're there at peak times. And if you don't want to do the full 5.6 mile loop, Myrtle Falls is a nice little section of it!!

Skyline Trail is pretty easy to walk. You can reach the waterfall in just 30 minutes, and the slope isn’t too steep. For Paradise Meadows, I only did about a quarter of the trail since the second half still had snow, and you need better gear to keep going. The full trail takes around six hours, and many experienced hikers carry overnight equipment. Even without finishing it, the views were amazing. Mount Rainier is super beautiful and definitely worth the climb to enjoy the scenery and build a snowman. At the visitor center, you can buy some ski gear and ask the staff for trail recommendations, which are really helpful. You can also refill your water bottle there.

One of the best hikes I have ever done, it was absolutely incredible. The views everywhere were so beautiful. We did the Skyline Trail on 4th July and the weather and visibility was perfect. I would highly recommend you buy crampons, we bought ours for $20 on Amazon. People were doing it in trainers and they were slipping around a lot. That's the only mountaineering gear we had with us and due to the good weather we didn't need anything else. It was very thick snow in parts so I would also recommend strongly that you wear waterproof walking boots and socks. That was despite the fact the weather was very sunny and hot. I did the whole hike is just leggings and a t-shirt. And lots of people were in shorts. Don't let all the scarier reviews put you off. It's very doable just take it slowly and enjoy the views.

Great hiking experience! Took about 4 hours going up from skyline trail and heading down from golden gate trail - with many stops and lunch break. Beautiful autumn colors and spectacular views! My friends recommended using hiking poles. Some terrains might be tough to walk on - slippery small rocks and unpaved roads. Good amount of people on Sunday morning. Took 30min - 1 hour waiting to enter Mount Rainier; long line at car ticket booth.