One of my favorite national parks is Mount Rainier in Washington. There is nothing better than getting up early to catch the sunrise light hitting the top of Mount Rainier in front of Reflection Lake covered in early morning fog. It is one of the great landscapes in this country. I was there in August 2019 which is peak visiting time as the crowds will attest. However, the park has plenty of places to find peaceful solitude.

Mount Rainier has a lot of wildlife. We usually get to see a Black Bear (no Grizzlies there!) each time we visit. There are lots of deer in the meadows, many are acclimated to the human visitors, marmots are numerous among the rocky cliffs and plenty of birds such as the young Stellar’s Jay below who was looking for a handout among the visitors. We even had the chance to see the rare Cascades fox at night, though my iphone photo was pretty grainy.

By far, the big attraction in summer are the multitude of wildflowers that spring up around the mountain. If you stay at Paradise Inn within the Park, you can easily step outside the door and be greeted by a very colorful display of flowers covering the landscape. Below is a photo taken just off the roadway.

We returned to Reflection Lake for another sunrise. It’s just about a perfect location for a photograph. I hope you get to visit this National Park and see it all with your own eyes.