Glacier Vista - Panorama Point — Friday, Jul. 1, 2011

Mount Rainier Area > SW - Longmire/Paradise

Drove up to Paradise hoping to snap some photos of wildflowers. The Park staff at the Jackson Visitor Center informed me that Paradise is currently at 290% of the average snowpack. Wow! Since I already had a parking spot at Paradise, I decided to follow the boot-packed trail up to Panorama Point. There were plenty of people out (marmots, too) because it was a beautiful sunny day. The views of Rainier, Adams and St. Helens were fantastic. I turned around at Panorama point because I was only wearing a pair of waterproofed trail runners and would have liked more traction to continue to Camp Muir. There is a pretty established glissade route down from Panorama point to the level area below, which shaves off quite a bit of time on the descent. I was very grateful for my gaiters! One more piece of good news: the official NP bathroom is now open at Panorama point!