Paradise Glacier Trail

We drove up to Paradise at Mt Rainier NP to hike up to the Paradise Glaicer Trail and to see if we could reach the saddle below Cowlitz Rocks. We ended up not making up to the saddle as we weren't comfortable crossing snow bridges in the summer. But had a fabulous hike with waterfalls, wildflowers, wildlife and gorgeous mountain views! Overall we did 7 miles with 1,700 ft of total gain.
There are many interconnecting trails at Paradise. We started by taking the waterfall trail over to Myrtle Falls.

View of Mt Rainier from the bridge crossing Edith Creek above Myrtle Falls

Marmots enjoying the view and the wildflowers












The fields are full of wildflowers all around Paradise

Today was a perfect day to slowly saunter along the trails enjoying every moment.

We continued along the Skyline Loop Trail heading counterclockwise. Found a marmot basking in the morning sun light on a talus field.

More wildflowers and views of the Tatoosh Range as we head towards Mazama Ridge

a hungry marmot munching on the paintbrush

Small waterfall along the trail

Columbine along the Paradise River

Lot of lupine in bloom going up Mazama Ridge

On top of Mazama Ridge, the wildflower show continues

Mt Rainier from Mazama Ridge

Here the Skyline Trail appears to be heading straight to Little Tahoma in the distance.

Ground Squirrel enjoying the sun on Mazama Ridge

Shortly after the Stevens-Van Trump Historical Marker, the Skyline Trail turns northwest, we took the Paradise Glacier Trail heading northeast.
Lots of wildflowers a views along this trail today.

Looking south: Mt Adams and Mt St Helens appearing behind the Tatoosh Range with abundant wildflowers

We did not see any hikers along the Paradise Glacier Trail in the morning, and then only a few when we returned in the early afternoon.

I love to take this route snowshoeing in the winter and had no idea how abundant the wildflowers were in the summertime. So glad we chose this trail today!

So many marmots out today, we needed to be careful where we step.

more fields of wildflowers

Mt Rainier reflecting in a mountain tarn along the Paradise Glacier Trail

The maintained portion of the Paradise Glacier Trail ends after about 1-1/2 miles. Beyond, it is good to have route finding and scrambling skills.
We would hike up through the gap on the right, below the Paradise Glacier.

We crossed a shallow snow field

Looking up towards the saddle of Cowlitz Rocks

There are many streams of glacier melt coming down the scree fields, here were found many monkeyflowers and willowherbs in bloom.

Some of the mosss was almost a fluorescent green in the sunlight. To the south, we could see Mt Adams, and very faintll, Mt Hood.

We hiked up and around the snowfields here in the scree fields, as the snow was melting from below.

Cowlitz Rocks in the distance and a waterfall coming down Stevens Creek.

About 6,750 ft we reached a large snow bridge over a very fast running creek. We didn't feel comfortable crossing this snow bridge in August.  At the upper end the creek was coming down an area of very steep and loose scree with the creek moving very fast.








We found some boulders to sit on, stopped for a lunch break and enjoyed our views.

We headed back down to the maintained Paradise Glacier Trail, seeing a few people along the way, amazed at the beauty around us.

Once we rejoined the Skyline Trail, we came across many hikers, but never felt the trails were crowded until we were much closer to the parking/visitor areas.
Lots of monkeyflowers in bloom where the Skyline Trail crosses the Paradise River.

These are the largest monke flower plants I have seen and they were plentiful!

Continuing up the Skyline Trail heading northwest, we saw a few beargrass still in bloom.

pink heather and birds-beak lousewort

A beautiful patches paintbrush and partridge foot in bloom just before the junction with the Golden Gate Trail

We decided to hike down the Golden Gate Trail as we had not been on this trail before.
Lovely views and wildflowers on the way down.

hillside covered with pasqueflowers gone to seed

This might be Golden Gate Falls? I was looking more at the wildflowers than at the water.

I had hiked on the other side of Paradise enjoying the wildflowers two weeks ago, and was amazed to see that the wildflowers were still so abundant.










another marmot enjoying the views and wildflowers












Another view of Mt Rainier coming down the Golden Gate Trail.
This trail rejoins the Skyline Trail back close to Myrtle Falls.










some more of the wildflowers we saw today: