Washington: Mount Rainier
It was Labor Day Weekend, so we took the opportunity to drive down to Mt Rainier for the day!
We decided to drive up to Sunset Visitor Center, since that is the highest drivable point on the mountain. The drive, itself, wasn't bad at all. A few tight turns, but overall, quite enjoyable. It wasn't as claustrophobic as some other mountain drives we've done.
The road to the Sunrise Visitor Center is only open during the summer months, due to snow, but it is totally worth the trip up. At the top is the visitor center, a snack shop, and entrances to quite a few trails. Even on a rainy day, the parking lot was pretty full, so I'd try to get there early.
There were quite a few trail options. We decided to walk up to Glacier Outlook and then back to visitor center. The outlook had a great view of the mountain, even with the cloudy day we had. All in all, we walked about 3 miles. If we had gotten there earlier in the day, we probably would've hiked a bit more, but I didn't want to drive back down the mountain in the dark.
I'd love to back again some day when its not so cloudy. Its a beautiful, peaceful area and I definitely recommend going if you have the chance.
Happy Travels!
