I think it’s safe to say that I’m not alone in loving fall- warm apple cider, snuggling by the fire, and relishing in the leaves’ technicolor spectacular finale before the winter. Lucky for me, I live close to Mount Rainier National Park, one of the best places in the United States to soak up the gorgeous fall colors- and breathtaking mountain views to boot. Recently, my husband, Justin, and I made the trek to the park to check off our ultimate Rainier fall hiking bucket list and I think we totally nailed it!
Here’s my guide to having an epic day of fall hiking in Mount Rainier National Park.
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Psssst… heading to Mount Rainier National Park? You may want to check out our other posts about some of the other amazing hikes in the park:
How to Get to Mountain Rainier National Park
Mount Rainier is conveniently located about a two and a half hour drive from Seattle or a three hour drive from Portland (note- the park is HUGE, so drive time will vary depending on which hike you’re headed to).
If you’re not lucky enough to live in the Pacific Northwest (ahem, I might be a bit biased), I’d recommend flying into Seattle’s SeaTac Airport (I swear by Skyscanner to score the cheapest flight deals) and renting a car for a few days. There’s SO much to see and explore in Washington state alone, so I hope you stay awhile!
What to Pack for Mount Rainier National Park
I assume you know to bring along the basics, like your hiking boots, backpack, and camera, but here are some odds and ends you might not remember:
Layers
With a forecast in the low 50s for our day in Rainier, I wore a cozy flannel, a warm puffy vest, and a beanie, to keep me nice and warm during our hike. But within five minutes of climbing up a steep, continuous incline on our first trail, the flannel shirt had been stripped off and I was unexpectedly sweating profusely and hiking in my sports bra.
So learn from my mistakes- even if the weather is forecasted to be cooler, don’t underestimate how hot you’ll get from climbing up a mountain (and wear layers)! Similarly, be sure to bring lots of water- I’m all for lightweight, yet durable Nalgene bottles like this one.
A rainjacket
You know how everyone talks about how rainy it is in Seattle? It’s actually our little secret that the weather here in Washington is PERFECT in the summer- it’s really only rainy in the wintertime.
Which brings us to fall… it can kind of be a mixed bag of gorgeous, sunny days or moody, gray days, perfect for rocking out to Nirvana. The good news is that it rarely pours here (it’s more a state of constant mistiness so you just sort of feel moist all the time), so it shouldn’t really prevent you from hiking, so long as you come prepared!
I’ve been rocking this jacket for years (it’s affordable and comes in TWENTY EIGHT COLORS) and it’s always treated me right. Here’s the same jacket for men.
A cooler
The national park has two restaurants and two snack bars in it (you can see their menus and hours of operation here), but most of them close for the season at the beginning of October, are a bit on the pricier side, and have few options for my husband and me, who follow a vegan diet.
If you’re roadtripping here, I’d highly recommend packing a cooler (we picked up one very similar to this one for our road trips in 2020 and have been using it all the time!) to keep in your car with some breakfast and lunch so you’re not scrambling to find food within the park. If you’re really feeling like getting into the autumnal spirit, pack some pumpkin beers or hard ciders to celebrate after your hikes.
Headlamps
In this blog post, I’m recommending two hikes that offer spectacular views of fall foliage, which can easily be accomplished in one day. However, if you either hit the trails later in the day or you’re a brave soul that wants to squeeze in three hikes, I’d recommend bringing along a headlamp, as it starts getting darker around 5:30 pm or so in the autumn (and while Rainier is great fun, falling down it is not). Justin and I have these rechargeable ones for sunset hikes and camping and I absolutely LOVE them.
Offline maps
The park has really spotty cell coverage, so I definitely recommend downloading offline maps on the Google Maps app before heading here.
America the Beautiful Pass
For one car, it costs $30 for a one-week pass into the park.
However, if you have plans to stop by a couple of U.S. National Parks within a year span (for example, you should DEFINITELY check out Olympic National Park if you’re in Washington state!), these fees are included if you pick up an America the Beautiful Pass, an annual pass that costs just $80 and gets you into more than 2,000 U.S. national parks, forests, shorelines (and on and on).
The proceeds support the National Park Service and if you plan to go to at least three national parks per year (which usually cost around $30-$35 per car per visit), picking up one of these bad boys is a no brainer. You can either pick one up here, at your local REI, or at most staffed entrance stations at U.S. National Parks.
Tip: It's worth mentioning that if you're planning on visiting the park before the fall colors hit, as of 2024, you'll need a timed entry permit to enter the Paradise section of the park from May through September and the Sunrise section of the park from July through September, from 7 AM to 3 PM. Check out the National Park Service's website for more information and to reserve a timed entry permit.
When to Go to Mount Rainier National Park to See the Fall Colors
If you’re looking for fall colors, Mount Rainier is one of the best national parks to visit in October, with peak colors hitting around the first week or so of October. By late October, many trails in Rainier start closing due to snow conditions.
I would be remiss without mentioning that Rainier is GORGEOUS in the summer as well. Lots of trails remain closed through portions of early July due to snow, but from approximately mid-July through early September, the weather is absolutely glorious and Rainier’s meadows are blanketed by colorful wildflowers. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the park is typically far more crowded in the summer months, with tourism slowing down after Labor Day.
This may seem obvious, but if you can swing visiting on a weekday, I’d definitely recommend it. Justin and I did our Epic Fall Day in Rainier™ on a Monday and we had the Skyline Loop trail (discussed further below), one of the park’s most popular hikes, mostly to ourselves!
What to Do in Mount Rainier National Park in the Fall
While fall in the park can certainly be enjoyed by driving (the Chinook Scenic Byway is awesome for leaf-peeping come fall!), this guide focuses more on a few hikes that will get your blood pumping and offer spectacular views of Rainier in all of its fall splendor.
1. Skyline Trail Loop
Mileage: 5.5 miles
Cumulative Elevation gain: 1700 ft.
Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult
The Skyline Trail is located on the south side of Rainier, in a part of the park called Paradise, aptly named given that its southern exposure allows for a longer season than its northern counterpart, Sunrise. It’sarguably one of Rainier’s most beloved hikes, but it’s generally famous for its fields and fields of colorful wildflowers in July through early September.
Come fall, however, the wildflowers are replaced by an astounding array of fall colors. The unique thing about the fall foliage in Rainier is that most of the vibrant colors are actually from shrubs, succulents, and other plants blanketing the ground (rather than from the leaves on trees)- from the vibrant red of scarlet paintbrush to the flaming orange of elderberries.
To get to the trail, you’ll need to park in the Paradise parking lot, which can fill up as early as 8 am on weekend days (even on a Monday when we went, the lot was completely filled by the time we returned from our hike in the early afternoon). So I’d recommend stopping here first thing to beat the crowds and secure your spot.
Since it’s a loop trail, you can either go clockwise, starting behind the Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center or counterclockwise, starting behind the Paradise Ranger Station. Both routes have their merits- we went clockwise, which immediately starts off with a thigh-burning incline with stunning up-close-and-personal views of Rainier, with the most spectacular fall foliage saved for the very last portion of the hike along the southeastern rim of the loop.
This southeastern portion of the hike is paved and right off the parking lot, so, even though the majority of the hike was deserted, by the time we reached this particular spot by noon, it was packed with other hikers. If you want to soak up the most brilliantly colored portion of the hike by your lonesome, you may want to go counterclockwise, hitting this spot first.
Protips:
- Throughout the length of the trail, it branches off and intersects with several other trails, meandering up and around Rainier. In my opinion, it’s extremely well-marked and easy to follow, but you definitely need to keep an eye out for signage. So if you’re new to hiking or not the best with directions, it might be helpful to pick up a park map either when you enter the park or at the visitor’s center.
- Keep your eyes peeled when you’re in the northeastern portion of the loop- close to where the Paradise River traverses the trail. You’ll often see mountain goats sunning themselves up on the mountains here!
2. Naches Peak Loop
Mileage: 3.2 miles
Cumulative elevation gain: 600 ft.
Difficulty: Easy
About an hour’s drive east of Paradise (the perfect length of time to nom down on your lunch and digest before your afternoon’s hike!), you’ll find the stunning Tipsoo Lake. Naches Peak Loop, a great hike for beginners or families, starts in the lake’s parking lot and snakes up to Naches Peak to offer both jaw-dropping views of Rainier (this time, a much snowier side!) and an absolute explosion of fall colors.
Similar to the Skyline Loop, you can either do this trail clockwise or counter. But you should ABSOLUTELY do this hike clockwise, so that you will have a stunning continuous view of Rainier looming above and subalpine meadows as far as the eye can see for the latter half of the hike.
Protips:
- The hike is not identified on the park’s maps and, when we were there, the actual trail itself did not have great signage. To add to the confusion, if you put “Naches Peak Loop Trailhead” into Google Maps, it will drop you off at the entry point on the correct trail, but it’s at an unmarked spot on the side of State Route 410, without any place to park.
So instead of heading to this spot, keep your eye out for the lot by the Tipsoo Lake sign on 410, about 0.7 miles west of where Google Maps will take you. In the northeastern corner of this lot, there should be a sign clearly marking the entrance to the trailhead (while we were leaving for our hike, rangers were taking the sign down for unknown reasons, but I’m guessing it will be put back up?).
Assuming you start the hike in the Lake Tipsoo parking lot, you’ll follow a short trail up a steep hill, north of the lake. The trail can get a bit confusing here- it traverses State Route 410 and turns into the Pacific Crest Trail (again, without any signage addressing Naches Peak). From the start of the Pacific Crest Trail portion of the hike, you’ll follow the trail for 1.6 miles before the trail intersects with the Naches Loop Trail and loops the final 1.4 miles back to Tipsoo Lake.
- There’s a viewpoint of Tipsoo Lake along State Route 410, between the lake’s parking lot and where the loop trail traverses the road. I’m not usually a huge fan of scenic overlooks you can drive to (I want to EARN my gorgeous views, damnit), but the vista here will knock your socks off and would be a perfect spot for a post-hike snack.
While these two hikes are the perfect combination to pack into one fall-tastic day, here are some other recommendations for fall foliage if you’re a real autumnal overachiever or have a few days in the park:
- Tolmie Peak Fire Lookout (7.5 miles roundtrip; 1100 feet gain; moderate to challenging)- Hike to a historic fire lookout, with stunning lake views below and plentiful huckleberries abound. Be careful when driving here, though- the road is notoriously full of potholes.
- Narada Falls and Reflection Lakes Loop (5.0 miles roundtrip; 1150 feet gain; moderate)- This trail loops past a gorgeous lake which, on a clear day, offers a perfect reflection of Rainier (especially lovely at sunrise or sunset!) and several cascading waterfalls.
- Summerland Trail (10.1 miles roundtrip; 2,595 feet; moderate)- Summerland, located in the Sunrise section of the park, is seemingly full of endless wildflowers that burst into vibrant autumnal colors. The trail climbs to an open meadow, ablaze with fall foliage, and beyond, the enormous summit of Rainier towering above.
- Crystal Peak (8.0 miles roundtrip; 3100 feet gain; challenging)- If the weather cooperates, the summit of this challenging hike provides views of SIX volcanoes spanning two states, but if you want to conquer this thigh-burner, I’d recommend doing so earlier on in the season. This trail often sees snow by mid-October.
Where to Stay Near Mount Rainier National Park
Justin and I have been to Rainier several times and usually just take day trips from our Seattle home, leaving in the morning. While it’s convenient for us to not have to get accommodations for the night, it’s a fairly long drive for a one day trip and unless you leave at the crack of dawn, you’ll likely be waiting in long lines at the park entrance and participating in a Battle Royale for parking spots for popular hikes.
During our fall trip, though, we stayed overnight at Paradise Village in Ashford, Washington- between the clean, updated rooms, reasonable prices (~$105 per night), and convenient location just 5 miles outside of the park’s Paradise entrance, I would definitely recommend a stay here. I was initially drawn to this property by its wood-fired hot tub (hilariously called the “Cannibal Hot Tub” on its website). While it turns out that it costs $95 for an hour soak (i.e., not included with your stay) and it didn’t fit into our schedule anyway, it’s certainly what #millenialdreams are made of!
Other properties we considered based on other users’ reviews and prices in Ashford- Alexander’s Lodge and the Mountain Meadow Inn.
Alternatively, Rainier has several established campgrounds. All of them, however, close in either late September or early October (check for closures and availability here), so the timing may not work out if you’re interested in seeing Rainier at peak fall time.
Backcountry camping is also available- usually, permits for the summer season (through the early part of October) are through advanced reservation only, while backpackers may self-register for backcountry permits after the summer season has passed (you hardcore lumberjacks, you!). You can read more about the park’s backcountry camping permits here.
Well, I hope you have as much fun as I did relishing in the autumnal gloriousness in Rainier. Did you find any other must-see hikes in the fall in Mount Rainier? Let me know in the comments below!
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We will be in Seattle mid November. We love to hike, but are from Florida. What are your recommendations.
Hi Roberta! Mount Rainier will almost certainly be snowy by then. Luckily, many of the hikes (other than the high elevation ones) in Olympic National Park should be ice and snow free. Some suggestions include the Ozette Loop, Mount Storm King, Hall of Mosses, or Shi Shi Beach. We have a whole article all about the best hikes in Olympic here: https://uprootedtraveler.com/best-hikes-in-olympic-national-park/.
You might also want to check out Rattlesnake Ledge, which is a bit closer than the Olympic Peninsula! Here’s our post on it: https://uprootedtraveler.com/rattlesnake-ledge-trail/.
Safe travels- hope you have the best time!