★★★★★Tripadvisor review
Long achey day
Camper506849, October 2026
Let me preface this by saying I am a flatlander, age 66. Rainier is beautiful.
In terms of tours, a lot of getting in and out of the vehicle to look at a waterfall, or take a picture. But... along busy roads with vehicles and blind corners. Our guide definitely favored waterfalls and views of the mountain over things like mountain forests or geology. This isn't a learning tour by any means, although bits of history/facts are sprinkled in.
The longest stop was lunch at Rainier. But, only after a hike that went straight up, no flats, no benches, just a slight place to pull over to let your heart rate recover. There was an alternate path one could take, which eventually I went back down and hiked because the promised "last hill" was really just the top of the current incline, and not the end. One cannot underestimate the amount of incline at that elevation, with no levels in between. Personally, as a tour organizer, I'd probably choose either a different route, or not lunch after such a steep walk. I never bothered with lunch because the altitude and heat just made me not hungry. The fall colors were spectacular in the meadows. (Meadow shrubs, not trees. It is hard to explain how beautiful a mountain meadow decked in fall colors can be. BUT OH MY!) As busses go, if the guide is going to talk, I'd recommend a mic system and keep the eyes on the road please. Turning your head to yell back four seats worth of people seems a little dangerous to me, no matter how great a driver one is. And she was a very good driver.
Our group ended up a bit tired, so we kept our last stop to a minimum, but it was very pretty. The guide was friendly, extremely punctual, and the stops were as promised and planned. But do know this is mostly a road trip. A day of driving, jumping in and out of a car for a photo op, then on to the next. A good way to circle the mountain. Not necessarily a way to explore where you might want to go hike on your own, because you never really get a chance to figure out where trails go, etc. All in all, for the price though- a way to tackle what is a long drive, letting someone else worry about the driving and details, which is what I wanted. A lay of the land. If you actually want to explore Rainier, get a hotel at the base of the mountain, and break the sides up for mini or longer hikes. Get some proper maps. Also, Rainier might be the least fancy National Park entrance I've seen. (Not like I've been to a lot, but usually the visitor centers have way more information. Our guide also didn't really want just to take any time at the visitor center other than to pee and get moving. That was after about five hours of driving.)
Response from the operator · susanhN9726HC
Yes, we have about 7 stops in the park but shorter ones most of them. At those stops we see a couple of waterfalls, old growth forest, glacial river, Refection Lake and a couple of breathtaking viewpoints. Though, if you do no want to see all the sightseeing spots - you can stay in the vehicle.
The main hike in Paradise area where we picnic is optional as well. There is the steeper hike that is less than a mile to the picnic spot and then we return downhill. Then there is another easier hike which is 0.4 miles where people sometimes go and picnic since it is an easy hike with no steep inclines. You chose to go on the more steep trails and you could have turned around any time. I always inform people about the two different trails. You all have at least 15 minutes to go to the gift store and visitor center after the hike, which is enough time for most people.