To get to Paradise at Mount Rainier from Seattle, drive south on Interstate 5 to Highway 7.
The total travel time is about two and a half hours.
Mt. Rainier is an easy day trip from Seattle, Tacoma, or most other western Washington cities, but can easily turn it into an overnight camping trip or a stay at Paradise Inn right on the mountain.
You can keep busy on a day trip by hiking a trail or two as you drive around the national park. Research where you want to go ahead of time, or just look for marked trailheads and pull over to explore.
Highlights include visiting Paradise and wandering the wildflower fields (when they’re in season), exploring the temperate rainforest at Carbon River, and hiking to Silver Falls at Ohanapecosh, but there’s far more to do at this national park. Activities vary pretty widely by season. Most visitors will want to come during the spring or summer when the roads are clear and everything is open and accessible.
Even lesser experienced snow sports fans will find fun activities like free snowshoe tours.
