Mount Rainier- Part 1: Views From Within the National Park

The first subject I will mention is Mount Rainier.  I know it's the most obvious one, millions of people go to see Mount Rainier every year, and many more see it on a daily basis from areas all up and down the I-5 corridor.

I want to mention it in my first article, though, because it is definitely the crown jewel of this area.  People cannot come to visit this area without making a visit to Mount Rainier.  And it is the top photo subject that I am almost obsessively trying to find new locations to shoot.  New vantage points, new foreground subjects.  Mount Rainier does not disappoint in this regard- after 5 years I continue to be amazed at the new spots from which I can get fantastic views of this gorgeous mountain.  

I will break this up into multiple posts to give each photo spot the proper attention.  In this first post I will discuss some favorite spots from within Mount Rainier National park itself.

All of these locations except for the Paradise area are closed in winter, and will only be snow-free from mid/late July into late September. 

Paradise Visitor's Center Area

The most popular tourist spot within the national park, this area offers some of the most spectacular up close views of the mountain.  There are many trails that meander through the meadows above the visitor's center, all of which offer great views of the mountain so you will never run out of places here to set up and take some shots.  My favorite spot to photograph the mountain in this area, though, is at Myrtle Falls- which is an easy walk 0.5 miles from the visitor's center on a paved trail.  

The small falls you see here are not Myrtle Falls- this is taken looking upstream with Myrtle Falls directly behind me. 

I like this spot not for Myrtle Falls itself, but for the view upstream just above Myrtle Falls as shown above.  There is a wooden bridge that crosses the creek just above Myrtle Falls- this shot was taken just before crossing this bridge- there is a small gravel/dirt area off the trail where you can get this shot.  On a warm summer day the crowds are large so it can be a challenge finding space without anyone in the way to set up your tripod here.

There are quite a few other great photo opportunities along this trail if you walk a bit further.  Just beyond Myrtle Falls the blacktop ends and the trail becomes dirt/gravel but is still very easy to navigate.

I would strongly recommend visiting this area in July, maybe mid to late July because the wild flowers are in full bloom around that time.  They are quite the sight to see- they make for a fantastic foreground to your mountain shots.  Here are a couple of other shots from along the Myrtle Falls trail- all within a quarter mile of the actual falls:

This was taken just a few hundred feet beyond Myrtle Falls, where the trail rises up a bit giving better views of the little valley.  The stone building that looks like a cabin really got my attention here when taking this shot.  I'm not really sure what that is.

If you go earlier such as May or June, the views at Paradise look more like this:

Continuing east from the Paradise visitor's center just a few miles you will come across another very popular photo spot- Reflection Lakes.

Late afternoon shot at Reflection Lakes in the summer of 2010

As many photographers will say, this is an amazing spot to photograph the mountain very early in the morning, just before and during sun rise.  That way the lighting will be better, and the wind will be calm so you'll get the infamous reflection of the mountain in the lake.  I have not been able to get there yet at that time of day to get those shots, but it's very high on my "to do" list.

Sunrise Visitor's Center Area

Another great photo spot is on the east side of the mountain at the Sunrise visitor's center.  This spot is no good for getting pictures of the mountain during the afternoon as the sun will be right over or near the mountain, just ruining your shots.  (if you have to shoot in the afternoon, then the Paradise area is a much better choice).  The name of the visitor's center really says at all- the time to be here is at sunrise.  I found that you really want to plan to be there about a half hour before the official sunrise time as you'll want to get parked and get up the trail to set up and be ready, because once the sun gets close to rising you have a very limited window of time to get the best pictures.  Just before and during the moment the sun breaks above the peaks off to the east, the mountain glows a bright orange- it is a spectacular sight to see.  There is a trail going up the hill just behind the visitor's center- you don't have to go far up the trail, the views all along the way from the visitor's center are spectacular, so just continue until you find the spot that feels right to you.

The view along the trail just a few hundred yards up the trail behind the visitor's center during the golden hour just before the sun actually rose above the peaks behind me. 

This was how it looked as the sun broke above the peaks behind me, just seconds after the official sunrise.

And this was the view after the sun rose into the eastern sky. 

Mowich Lake Entrance (Northwest Corner of the National Park)

The northwest corner of the park is far less visited, even though it is the closest to the Seattle metro area.  It's really not all that developed and doesn't have the "wow" views that the Sunrise and Paradise areas have, but it is still well worth visiting.  The road leading into the park at this entrance is gravel- it is a bit rough in places but easy to navigate in any type of vehicle.  Part way up the road before actually entering the park (it's 11 miles of gravel before entering the park itself) you come across an area that was clear cut by loggers giving a great view of the mountain- it's well worth a stop here for a few pictures.

View of Mount Rainier along the road before the park entrance north of Mowich Lake

A few miles further down the road you reach Mowich Lake- this is the end of the road so you can't miss it.  There is plenty of parking here.  This is a beautiful high elevation lake surrounded by steep forested hills.  There is a nice trail that goes along the west side of the lake.  Unfortunately the views of the mountain are very limited at the lake itself- all you will get are views of the top third or so of the mountain.

The view of the mountain from Mowich Lake.

There are trail heads near the lake such as the Tolmie Peak trail (7 miles round trip) that lead to higher elevations with great views of the mountain with Mowich Leak below.  Unfortunately when I was up there I did not have time to do that hike, so I don't have any shots to share.

East Edge of the National Park- Tipsoo Lake Area

Highway 410 skirts the extreme eastern edge of the national park in the north/south line.  There are a few places well worth stopping here to get shots of the mountain.  Just a few miles north of Tipsoo Lake is a high spot on the highway with a pull out where you can park and get shots like this one.

A few miles south of this spot is Tipsoo Lake, which is located at Chinook Pass right off of Highway 410.  You can either park right off the highway to take in the views of the mountain with the lake below, or you can drive down to the parking area at the lake itself for a lower vantage point.  I prefer the view from right beside the highway- this is a great spot to get pictures of the mountain at sunrise or just after sunset.

Mount Rainier with Tipsoo Lake in the foreground just after sunset.

Another shot from the same spot a few minutes later.

With all of those different spots to photograph Mount Rainier, it is hard to imagine ever getting tired of going down to the park.  However I don't always have time to make the trip down there, so in the next post I will mention other favorite spots of mine closer to the Seattle area for great shots of the mountain.