Skyline Trail in Mount Rainier National Park

Welcome to Travel Tuesday! If you’re planning a trip to Mount Rainier National Park and only have time for a single hike, you need to check out the Skyline Trail!

Skyline Trail in Mount Rainier National Park

Distance: 6 miles (loop)
Elevation: 1794 ft
Difficulty: Moderate
Duration: ~3-4 hours
Trailhead Address: 46.7864, -121.73579
Parking: Lot available by the ranger station

The Skyline Trail is probably one of my favorite hikes and definitely a must-see if you’re going to Mount Rainier National Park!

Whatever your preference of things you’d like to see on a hike, this trail probably has it (other than ocean, I guess, but let’s be reasonable here). Waterfall, rivers/streams, snowfields, alpine wildflowers, forests, glaciers, mountains, panoramic vistas…it’s got it all!

We went here in late August (mid to late August = best time for wildflowers!), so we managed to catch the tail-end of wildflower season!

You can choose to take this loop either clockwise or counterclockwise. We opted for clockwise, but if you want a less-steep elevation gain, go for counterclockwise!

Mount Rainier is the tallest mountain in Washington! It’s likely to be gorgeous anytime throughout the year. I’d love to go back here again someday.

There are views of the major Cascade volcanoes and on a clear day, you can also see Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Hood!

Make sure you check the weather conditions before you go! Depending on when in the year you go though , you may need snowshoes (or microspikes with treking poles). Some people apparently hike up and ski or snowboard down!

This is a super popular hike (for good reason), especially in the summer! If you can, I’d recommend starting early (before 8am) and on a weekday if possible.

You’ll be at a high elevation, so be sure to put on sunscreen and reapply often and/or wear sun-protective clothing! I sadly didn’t reapply as often as I should have and ended up kinda sunburned. Please learn from my mistakes. :[

If you’re lucky, you may even see a marmot! We saw this little guy (girl?) sunbeaming for some time on our way back down.

Things to remember:

• Keep nature wild. Don’t pick the wildflowers or feed the wildlife!
• Step over roots when possible (stepping on the exposed roots damages them over time :[ ).
• Wear shoes/boots with good traction.
• Dress in layers. Since it’s the Pacific Northwest, a rain jacket wouldn’t hurt.
• Dogs aren’t allowed on this trail.
• Sunscreen!!!

• Have you ever hiked a trail that goes from sunny/grassy to snowy?!
• What wildlife have you seen on the trail?
• What’s one of your favorite hikes? (I think I’ve gone hiking in 17-ish states so far and would love to hike in all 50! Will put together a post of my absolute favorites at some point!)