Seattle Day 6: Mount Rainier NP & Flight Home

We woke up Monday to a beautiful morning at Rainier. After packing up our bags, we hauled them out to the car and checked out by 9:30. Then we grabbed breakfast at the hotel and took it out on the deck to enjoy the view. Adam had a chocolate muffin with coffee and I had a tripleberry muffin with hot chocolate. It was brisk out so warm beverages were very welcome!

View from the mezzanine level of the lobby -

At 10:30, we headed out on the Skyline Trail right by our hotel. The trail was paved and had beautiful views of Rainier and sub-alpine meadows. We took it as far as Myrtle Falls, so about a mile.

Adam made another friend when we were taking photos of the falls. We aren't sure what it was though.

I loved all the Indian Paintbrush wildflowers -

Departing the Paradise area, our first stop was at Narada Falls. It was a short but steep hike down to the 168 foot falls. We were rewarded with a rainbow over the falls! Very cool.

photo by Adam

We took the tripod for Adam to get waterfall shots, which also meant we could get some photos together with the help of the new wireless remote! Don't look at my hand -I need to learn how to conceal it better...

Next, we stopped at Christine Falls which are double falls right off the road. Again, we brought the tripod.

By 1, we were at our last stop, Longmire. Longmire is the location of the other hotel in the park, the National Park Inn which dates from 1917.

Here we did the one mile loop Trail of the Shadows. It was interesting as it took us through the forest and the nearby meadow. It also featured soda springs, an old log cabin and foundation of the hotel that used to be on site.

We were feeling hungry, so we grabbed a snack at the gift shop, and then sat and enjoyed the view before leaving the park by 2.

On our way back, we stopped quick at this pretty lake. The water color reminded me of Banff!

By 4:30, we were back at SeaTac and dropped off the rental car. At the airport, we grabbed dinner and then waited for our 6:10 flight. The flight was pretty bad as we had a loud annoying toddler in front of us whose parents refused to control or quiet her. During drink service, she stood up in her chair (in front of Adam) for half an hour shaking the head rest, which shook the chair, which shook Adam’s table and drink. It was so special… Is there a kid-free airline? If so, I would pay more to take it!

Leaving Seattle, we had some cool views of Mount Rainier -

We didn’t get in until 11:15 pm due to the time zone change, so weren’t home until midnight! We were exhausted for work on Tuesday, but it was worth it to spend the day at Rainier. We had such a fun anniversary trip!