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Mount Rainier seen from Tacoma
Mount Rainier is the coolest place in the Pacific Northwest. It is so close that Seattleites, Tacomans, and Olympians almost forget about it, but that is a true mistake. Over 1.3 million people visit our amazing mountain each year, many of them coming from Asia and Europe. So, locals should join in on the fun.
Tent camping at Ohanapecosh is probably the most authentic, iconic Northwest vacation, however there are lots of other, more genteel, ways to stay overnight in the romantic wilderness.
Mount Rainier
Single parents who are short on funds and busy professionals who are short on time might consider an inexpensive day trip to Rainier. It’s so close.
Click here for reservations at Mount Rainier.
You can rent sleeping bags and tents at many local REI co-ops. I don’t think you’ll need a camp stove, because most campgrounds have fire circles.
Click here for REI info. See below for easy food ideas.
Paradise Inn or Longmire?
Not everyone grew up camping, so campfire virgins may feel more comfortable at a lodge:
Paradise Lodge (now called Paradise Inn) is about halfway up the mountain. The guest rooms are rustic but the main room is spectacular. I love all the wood. I wish I could live right there. Ignore the busloads of Chinese tourists and head off in your own direction on one of the easy Paradise hikes. Click here for several easy hikes at Mount Rainier.
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Christine Falls photo: Mr. Z-man
Longmire Inn (now called the National Park Inn, which is a pathetic non-descript name) is beautiful and, because it's at a lower elevation, it's open year round. I used to go there when my daughter was little because it was an easier drive.
There is something so wild about Longmire. It’s near a fabulous river and we liked to climb the boulders and to scramble around on river rocks. Gorgeous, just gorgeous.
Click here to help you decide whether you want to bunk at Longmire or Paradise.
Romantic couples and people with a family may want to check out renting a cabin. When I was growing up, my grandfather had a cabin below Crystal Mountain, so I can tell you that the lands around Crystal are spectacular year round. I’ve been to other areas where there are rentals, and I can tell you that there is no “bad” area near Mount Rainier. Also, there may be some last minute bargains for procrastinators.
Read more about renting cabins at Mount Rainier.
Camping Food
Take some hotdogs, hotdog buns, baked beans, condiments, and sticks for roasting the hotdogs. Baked potatoes are super easy to throw on the cooking grate (usually we wrap them in tin foil). And, most importantly, bring marshmallows, Hershey’s bars, and graham crackers.
Recipe: For those of you who weren’t Girl Scouts, you break the crackers in half, put chocolate squares on one or two of the crackers, and place a roasted gooey marshmallow on top of the chocolate. Then, you fold it together so the graham cracker is like the outside bread of a sandwich and the heated marshmallow melts the chocolate. These are real S’mores and they are one of the only things I know how to cook. Yum.
Kids love anything cooked over an open fire. Chicken Noodle Soup has more panache than Andy Warhol when it is heated up on a mountain fire. Happy cooks may want to fry bacon and eggs, but kids are perfectly satisfied with milk and cereal. Bring a cooler filled with pop, milk, and sandwich goodies. Also, trail mix really does taste better on a trail. (Just don’t forget the marshmallows and sticks or half the fun is gone.) Bring old crummy cookware because it might turn black from the fire. Also, paper plates and plastic forks are easier than trying to wash dishes with a cold faucet.
Click here to read about fabulous things for kids at Mount Rainier.
Even if you forget the marshmallows, you should go! Mount Rainier is such a wonderland. It’s as beautiful as Switzerland ...well, it doesn’t have fondue, cowbells, or Lake Lucerne, but it has better forests and you don’t need to sit in Heathrow awaiting your connection. It’s so easy for Washingtonians to go to Mount Rainier. Even if it rains, this place is worth the short trip.
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