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Mount Rainier National Park

National Parks Traveler Checklist: Mount Rainier National Park

As you drive toward, or fly over, Washington state, you can’t help but turn your eyes toward “The Mountain.” Known as Tahoma (or Tacoma) by the Northwest Native tribes and “an icon in the Washington landscape,” this “episodically active” volcano and most-glaciated peak in the contiguous U.S. lends its name to Mount Rainier National Park, which offers visitors plenty of activities surrounding this centerpiece mountain. The Traveler’s Checklist can help you plan your trip to make the most of your time exploring this park.

Around The Parks: Excessive Heat, Record Visitation, Road And Bridge Maintenance, And Dark Sky Certification

There's quite a bit of news going on in the National Park System. The Memorial Day weekend brought record visitation numbers and the month of June is heating things up for some national parks like Grand Canyon, while others, like Mount Rainier National Park, remain buried beneath several feet of snow in places. With the snow melting, road and bridge maintnenance in and around some park units is starting up, creating delays and closures for visitors. And a huge congratulations goes to Zion National Park for its certification as the latest International Dark Sky Park.

Photography In The National Parks: Seeing The Forest For The Trees

Not all park forests are alike. Some forests thrive in moist, even waterlogged environments, while others flourish in much drier climates. Some forests remain green year-round while others burst with color in the fall. Some forests stand as stark testaments to the ravages of wildfires while other forests provide environments for trees to grow to mind-boggling heights and widths. All these forests and their trees flesh out the story of a national park visit and the Traveler’s contributing photographer Rebecca Latson provides example images, tips, and techniques to help you capture the forest story of your own park trip.

Photography In The National Parks: The Yin And Yang Of A Composition

When you look at photos you’ve captured during a visit to a national park unit, do you notice one or more of your shots clearly showing a division of light and dark, or energy and calm, or two different colors, or two different textures? Contributing photographer Rebecca Latson sees this phenomenon in many of her own images, calling it the “yin and yang of a composition.” In this month's column, Rebecca provides examples of this yin-yang concept and how you can look for it in nature with your camera.

Celebrate International Dark Sky Week In A National Park

“Half the park is after dark.” April 5 – 12 marks International Dark Sky Week 2021, a celebration of the vast, wondrous, starry sky above us. Perhaps you are even planning a visit to a National Park Service unit that's been designated an International Dark Sky Park. This special week also emphasizes how light pollution hampers our ability to see the stars and produces harmful consequences to all living things.

A Waterfall's Winter Flow Snuggled Between Green Ferns, Mount Rainier National Park

A winter's flow of a silky waterfall between green ferns along Westside Road near the Nisqually entrance to Mount Rainier National Park

"Fed by snowmelt, some of the park's waterfalls are ephemeral, only appearing during certain times of the year. Others are buried deep within the park's wilderness far from roads or trails, making them challenging to find and view. Mount Rainier’s numerous waterfalls are best viewed in early summer as melting snow feeds the streams, and again in autumn as the rains fill the streambeds. During late summer, only the major waterfalls will be flowing. Few of the many waterfalls have been named. What names would you give to your favorite unnamed waterfalls?

Rebecca Latson

INN Member

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