Mount Rainier Part 2: Great photo spots in the south Puget Sound region

There are many other great locations in the area to photograph Mount Rainier.  Some of my favorites outside of the park are in the south Puget Sound region in and around Tacoma because of the close proximity to the mountain and how massive it looks from these areas. Here are some examples of my favorite spots:

Gig Harbor

The view from the western side of Gig Harbor, right along North Harborview Drive where all the shops and restaurants are located.  Gig Harbor has such a cool touristy coastal feel to it, that it's well worth the drive to go for these shots and then to spend a couple hours exploring the little downtown area along the harbor.

Tacoma

My favorite spot to take shots of Mount Rainier in Tacoma is on the waterfront just a few miles northwest of downtown on Ruston Way.  There is a long narrow park along the water with lots of parking areas to stop and take in the views. 

This is at Ruston Point, at the northwest end of the waterfront park in front of a new apartment/condo complex built there.

Lake Tapps Area

The view from Lake Tapps County Park in Bonney Lake

The view from one of the farm fields on the east edge of Lake Tapps, just off of 215th AVE E.

The view from another farm field just a bit further east of Lake Tapps.  I believe this was on 40th St. E just off of 215th Ave E.  Views like this can be found, though, on any number of the rural roads that are found in the pasture lands and fields in this area.