I have been on this hike several times.and it’s my favorite at mt Rainer. Beautiful views and pretty flowers if you go in the late spring/ early summer months. I recommend going on a not so hot day due to the pavement and few shading.

The gate to Paradise opened a little after 9:30am and I headed up with the others who had been anxiously waiting in the parking lot at Longmire.  I had to put on traction devices (auto socks) because I have FWD, the road was a mix of bare pavement and snow/ice.

The upper parking lot at Paradise was about half full when I arrived and I headed up with snowshoes on. I have not visited here much (crowds) and opted to go right along the Waterfall Trail towards Edith Creek and the Myrtle Falls Viewpoint.  Again, the avalanche forecast was considerable, and I am still working on knee rehab so I didn't want anything too steep.

There were a couple folks ahead of me so I didn't have to break trail but the snow was deep and powdery, yes!  A few skiers but most of us had snowshoes on.

I crossed over the marked bridge over Edith Creek and followed the Golden Gate Trail mostly up to a high point at about 5950 feet.  Tahoma played peekaboo and the sun created moody shadows on the landscape.  Those coming up behind me mostly turned left here and climbed up through the basin towards Glacier Vista and one guy looked to be attempting the Golden Gate Trail to hit the Skyline but turned back about half way up.  Not sure if anyone was factoring in the avalanche forecast but I would not have attempted either route myself.

After eating a snack and taking in the views I slowly retraced my steps back down to the parking lot, stopping several times as Tahoma made an appearance.  Overall, a wonderful time in the "touristy" section of the mountain.

PSA: if you do not have snowshoes and your steps are making deep holes where snowshoers and skiers have created a trail, the etiquette is to NOT continue making the holes. They are hazardous to those of us with snowshoes and skies. Sorry, you get to posthole in the unbroken snow or go back to compact snow.

Another PSA:  please do not feed the birds.  Even if your littles look cute with trail mix on their hands and birds swooping overhead.  Leave No Trace, you can google it.

Absolutely wonderful day and perfect conditions. We wavered a bit with the weather forecast this morning as it changed but we looked at the webcam and decided to come anyway. Bluebird day, zero clouds, temps were very comfortable and we were very toasty in the sun. Definitely dress in layers, lots of people ditched their big coats. Roads going up were a little icy, happy to be in a 4Runner. Parking lot was pretty full but we still were able to find a spot, not too crazy out there which was nice. Trail never felt crowded. We each were carrying a baby/toddler so we had heavy packs, and it was definitely snowshoe worthy (snow not crunchy) though we did have crampons. Poles were nice to have as there is a bit of a climb right away. Didn’t go all the way to the top but didn’t feel like we needed to - views were stunning and as always we enjoyed snowshoeing here. So so glad we finally got good conditions on a weekend! 

Made the long drive to Paradise on an early Sunday morning and as a memorial trip for a dear old friend who recently passed. He was once a Rainier climbing guide back in the day with the Whitakers and we spent some great times on and around the mountain in our 20’s and while living in Eatonville and Puyallup. 

Rainier and Paradise has changed so much over the years and as a tourist attraction, but the memories tugged at my heavy heart all day snowshoeing the terrain. RIP Coli. 

We passed through the entrance at Longmire in record time around 9AM - no wait at all! The road from Longmire to Paradise had intermittent patches of frost and ice, especially in the shaded areas. We noticed the ice more on our way down and felt our vehicle slide at times coming around the turns - take it slow and easy!

Plenty of parking available when we arrived at Paradise around 9:30AM. The restrooms at Paradise were open and heated.

There were several well-defined paths leading out of Paradise toward the mountain, so there was no need for route finding today.

For our trek we used snowshoes, poles, gaiters, sunglasses, and carried several layers. The majority of folks we saw were snowshoeing, with a handful of others trekking with their skis and snowboards.

Overall, we could not have asked for a more perfect day for snowshoeing at Rainier!