Mount Rainier National Park with Kids

KID RATINGS

Fun: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (out of 5)
Difficulty: Very Easy    Easy    Moderate    Hard    Very Hard
(Activities range from very easy to hard depending on what you are doing)

KEY FEATURES

Terrain: Dirt trails, paved trails, rocks, bridges, glaciers, waterfalls, mountains, volcano
Time Needed: A few hours to a few days
When to Go: Spring, Summer, Fall

Hiking Distance: Varies depending on trail

Elevation Gain: Varies depending on trail. Some trails are steep and some are flat. 

COST

• $30 entrance fee per vehicle (valid for seven days)

• Free if you have a 4th grader with you through the Every Kid Outdoors program.

• Additional fee for camping

AMENITIES

• Lodging: Camping or Lodges

• General store

• Snack bars

• Two restaurants

• Water and bathrooms at visitor’s centers and campgrounds

THINGS TO BRING

• Camping supplies if camping

• Food/Snacks

• Good hiking shoes

• Hiking backpack

• Water for hiking

• Sunscreen

DETAILS

Exploring Mount Rainier National Park with kids is a must for families looking for a mountain adventure near Seattle, Washington. 

Mount Rainier National Park was our last stop on our two week road trip through Oregon and Washington. We spent just under 2 days in the park with a 10, 9, 6 and 2 year old. It was definitely not enough time to see it in entirety, but we did get a good taste. My 4th grader had one goal at this park — to touch a glacier — which we did.

Mount Rainier hasn’t erupted since the 1800s, but it is still considered an active volcano. We enjoyed learning more about volcanos in the parks visitor’s centers and googling info on our drive. The views of Mount Rainier are stunning as you drive through the park. 

THINGS TO DO WITH KIDS 

Hiking

There are over 260 miles of maintained trails within the park. Most trails can be shortened if desired.

Family Friendly Hikes in Mount Rainier National Park

(Hiking information found on the National Park Service website and All Trails)

Longmire Area

Trail of Shadows: (0.7 miles, 40 ft elevation gain) Hike through the forest and meadow to a spring and cabin replica.

Twin Firs Loop Trail: (0.4 miles, 100 ft elevation gain) Hike through the Evergreens of Mount Rainier

Ohanapecosh Area

Hot Springs Nature Trail: (0.5 miles, 50 ft elevation gain) Walk along a meadow and board wat to the Ohanapecosh Hot Springs. You can’t go in the hot springs. 

Grove of the Patriarchs Trail: (1.2 miles, 45 ft elevation gain) Hike amongst some of the oldest trees in the park and walk across a suspension bridge over the Ohanapecosh River on this lush green hike.

Box Canyon Loop Trail: (0.3 miles, 20 ft elevation gain) Walk on a bridge to see a narrow slot canyon below.

 Sunrise Area

Shadow Lakes Trail: (3 miles, 300 ft elevation gain) Views of Mount Rainier and White River Valley

Carbon River and Mowich Area

Carbon River Rainforest Nature Trail: (0.3 miles, 60 ft elevation gain) Explore the only inland rainforest in Washington.

Old Mine Trail: (3 miles, 300 ft elevation gain) Hike through a lush forest to the entrance of an old mine.

Paradise Area

Nisqually Vista Trail: (1.2 miles, 180 ft elevation gain) View Nisqually Glacier as you walk through the stunning meadows of Mount Rainier. This is a paved trail so bring a stroller if you need to. 

Bench and Snow Lakes Trail: (2.2 miles, 450 ft elevation gain) Hike through meadows and forest paths to explore two stunning lakes. 

Skyline Trail to Myrtle Falls:  (1 mile, 160 ft elevation gain) Walk to Myrtle Falls along a paved path.

There are several trail options ranging from short to long from the Paradise area. The shorter hikes are paved and are great for strollers. There is also a short easy 1 mile round trip hike to the Myrtle Falls that the Skyline trail hooks into.

Skyline Trail

The skyline trail is a steep 6 mile loop trail that takes you to the base of Mount Rainier’s Glacier’s. It provides gorgeous views of the volcano, surrounding cascade mountains, glaciers, waterfalls, streams and meadows filled with wildflowers. This is one of the most scenic hikes I have been on. The pictures just don’t do it justice.

This is a hard hike for kids, but I was so proud of my little hikers for sticking it through. They were super motivated to be able to see a volcano up close and to touch a glacier.

Camping

There are three main campgrounds in Mount Rainier National Park: Cougar (SW area of park), Ohanapecosh (SE area of park) and White River (NE section of park). Cougar and Ohanapecosh can be reserved six months in advance and White River is first come first served. Get more information on the campgrounds here.  

We stayed two nights at Cougar Rock Campground and enjoyed the Junior Ranger park programs at the amphitheater nearby. We had plenty of space on out site and enjoyed being surrounded by tall pines.  I booked our site about 3 months ahead of time. There were still several sites available at that point. For most national parks I recommend booking campsites 6 months in advance, especially post covid. 

Scenic Drive

There are many scenic viewpoints along the drive through the park. We entered the southwest entrance and exited on the southeast side. You could honestly spend a day just driving the park and stopping at different viewpoints.

Visitor’s Centers

There are four visitors centers in Mount Rainier National Park: Longmire, Ohanapecosh, Paradise and Sunrise. We were able to visit Ohanapecosh and Paradise. The Ohanapecosh Visitor Center is small and quant. Whereas, the Paradise Visitor Center is large with many interactive displays. We enjoyed learning all about how volcanos are formed.

Junior Ranger Program

Mount Rainier National Park with kids isn’t complete without getting your junior ranger badge! Grab a Junior Ranger Book at a visitor center at the beginning of your visit and let your kids work on them throughout your trip. Before you leave Mount Rainier turn in your finished Junior Ranger book for a Junior Ranger Badge. The Junior Ranger program keeps the kids busy while we drive and helps them learn about each park and how to preserve it.

Kid Activities Outside the Park

Northwest Trek Wildlife Park:  View native northwest animals on nature trails or in your own car. Let your kids play on the imagination kindling playgrounds and go on the zipline/ropes course. 

Rusty Plow: Pick fresh blueberries with your kids on a 3 acre blueberry farm. This is a little bit of a drive from Mount Rainier, 1 to 2 hours depending on which area of the park you are coming from. 

Mount Rainier Gondola: Ride the Gondola up more than 2000 ft to the summit of Crystal Mountain. 

PROS & CONS

PROS

• Beautiful scenery

• Diverse hiking opportunities: short, long, flat, steep.

• Glaciers

• Volcano

• Opportunities for learning at Junior Ranger programs

CONS

• Longer, harder hikes to get up close to the glaciers.

DIRECTIONS

Mount Rainier National Park is located among the Cascade Mountain Range and is two hours south and slightly east of Seattle. It is two and a half hours northeast of Portland. Below is a map to the Visitor Center in the Paradise area of Mount Rainier National Park. 

MAPS

MORE INFO

Mount Rainier National Park official site.

OTHER NEARBY ADVENTURES

Northwest Trek Wildlife Park (1 hour)

Mount Rainier Gondola

Seattle (2 hours)

Mount St. Helens (2 hours)

Portland (2.5 hours)

Olympic National Park (3 hours)