Naches Peak Loop
Enjoy stunning views of Mount Rainier National Park while circumnavigating Naches Peak.
Moderate Hiking
- Distance
- 5.7 km
- Ascent
- 210 m
- Descent
- 210 m
Enjoy fantastic views on these easy, rewarding hikes in Mount Rainier National Park.
Hiking Easy, Moderate
Mount Rainier soars to a sky-scraping elevation of 14,411 feet above sea level. And Rainier's location just a few miles from the Pacific Ocean makes that number even more significant: Rainier claims an incredible 13,210 feet of prominence, making it "the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States," according to Wikipedia. This also makes Rainier the tallest mountain in Washington State, the Cascade Range, and the Pacific Northwest.
More than a mere mountain peak, "Rainier is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world," according to Wikipedia. Since Rainier is the most glaciated peak in the lower 48, much of this danger is due to its massive amounts of glacial ice increasing the possibility of destructive mudflows. All of these factors—the massive prominence, the threatening volcano, and the expansive glaciers—combine to make Rainier an intimidating landscape.
Yet in spite of — or perhaps because of — this intimidating landscape, Rainier is also one of the most epic and beautiful adventure destinations in North America! Seemingly every hike offers jaw-dropping views of the soaring mountain peaks and the dwindling glaciers. But in addition, hikers will enjoy endless meadows filled with wildflowers, rushing mountain streams, rugged trails, and tumbling waterfalls.
While this formidable landscape is home to some of North America's most epic adventures, such as attempting to summit Rainier itself, you can still enjoy the region while skipping the death-defying climbs. In this guidebook, you'll find a roundup of easy yet rewarding hikes spread throughout the national park.
From short paved loops to slightly longer dirt trails, every single hike in this guidebook offers a much easier way to enjoy the grandeur of Mount Rainier than attempting to summit the monolith itself. Read through these descriptions, pick a few that sound good to you, and venture forth to explore this incredible landscape!
Sources: Wikipedia.org NPS.gov
Enjoy stunning views of Mount Rainier National Park while circumnavigating Naches Peak.
Moderate Hiking
Hike to a grove of old growth trees on an island in the middle of a river.
Easy Hiking
This narrow slot canyon is 180 feet deep, with a rushing river at the bottom!
Easy Hiking
Hike down to a beautiful vista of this 168-foot waterfall.
Moderate Hiking
An easy but incredibly scenic hike from the Sunrise Visitor Center.
Easy Hiking
An easy paved hike to a stunning overlook of a glacier-carved valley.
Easy Hiking
Reach a stunning view of Myrtle Falls framed by Mount Rainier.
Easy Hiking
Enjoy a high effort-to-view ratio on this beautiful hike to two alpine lakes.
Moderate Hiking
6 routes · Hiking
10 routes · Hiking
10 routes · Hiking
5 routes · Hiking
25 routes · Alpine Climbing · Hiking
5 routes · Hiking
5 routes · Hiking
10 routes · Hiking
10 routes · Alpine Climbing · Hiking
3 routes · Hiking