Mt. Rainier

Nisqually Vista Trail and Narada Falls

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This was a leisurely 1.2 mile hike through Paradise. The wildflowers were at their peak, and the weather was just right. I went on this hike with my mother and my boyfriend, Scott, while my father checked out all the movies at the visitor center.

	One of the best things about going to Mt. Rainier, is the trip up the mountain. There are frequent pull out areas with amazing vistas. Be sure to check some of these out. This was a river between the Sunrise and Paradise entrance that fed into one of the many lakes in the area.
The trail started just east of the visitor center inside the Paradise entrance. There is a total of about 200' altitude change along the trail. At the fork, it is easier to go left as the rise is much more gentle going clockwise. The day we went, it was somewhat cloudy near the summit, but it still afforded us some incredible views of Mt. Rainier, like this picture, taken from the visitor center.
	At the beginning of the trail there are little trail guide booklets that you can borrow or keep for a donation of $0.50. These are handy and you should pick one up for at least the duration of your hike. They are located near the sign. Here are my mom, me, and Scott standing at the sign.
One of the first things you'll encounter as your trail begins to slope down is an incredible meadow area with springs and wonderful wildflowers. The spring feeds down into what they call the "fairy pool" shown here.
	Along the trail are many pretty sites including streams, ponds, meadows as well as some wildlife. Shown here is one of the many streams along the side of the path.
Finally the trail leads to the Nisqually vista where you can see the Nisqually Glacier. The roar of the glacier water is deafening. I have to admit I was a little disappointed, but it might have been better if the clouds were not in the way. There were a number of points where you could view slightly different areas of the glacier.
	On the way out of Mt. Rainier national park, we made a brief stop at Narada falls. There is a short walk down to see the falls in all their glory and it is definitely worth it. The first thing you do is walk over a bridge that spans the Narada river, shown here.
After your walk down, you come to an area where you can see the entirety of the falls. You're close enough that the water hits you a little as it bounces off the rocks. It was also big enough that it didn't fit in one picture, so I had to collage the top and bottom together. A year later I came back after a much wetter winter. At the same time of year the falls were full of a lot more water.
	On our trip out, we took a one way road around a valley on one side and a gorgeous stream and waterfall on the other side. The sun was low enough that it made the stream look almost golden.
My mother and I paused briefly enough for a picture in front of the falls before going home for the evening.