Book of Winter Trails & Maps

February has brought warm sunny weather to the Pacific Northwest. The same unusual spring weather that has been causing havoc at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, B.C has caused the crocus flowers to bloom and put new buds on all the flowering trees here in Washington. With this spring like weather in February what better place to soak in the sun than at Paradise in Mt. Rainier National Park!  At 5,400 feet elevation at the base of Mount Rainier the winter sun is intense against the white sparkly snow under a cloudless blue sky. 

For any questions you might have about Mount Rainier, please email me at sallysphotos@comcast.net.  I am always happy to help!

For anyone reading the blog postings this year, it is important for you to know this 2010 winter at Mount Rainier is unusual. There are three winter years of postings on this blog that will verify how strange this weather has been. Normally winter cold weather and storms put snow on the ground from Ashford, outside of the national park, all the way up to Paradise. If you look back in the blog to the winter postings you will read about snowshoeing or cross country skiing on Westside Road near the entrance, Kautz Creek, Longmire and Cougar Rock Campground. (See posts in pull down Archives labeled – 2008 Snow.) This year you drive past Longmire and there is absolutely no snow on the ground yet. There is not enough snow for cross country skiing or snowshoeing until the Narada Falls area. From Narada Falls, Reflection Lake or a climb up to Barn Flats and higher to Paradise are popular destinations. But in the lower elevation cars are parked at the trailheads and people are hiking in February! However, the snow from Narada up to Paradise and farther up the mountain is great with a nice snow depth of about 112 inches measured at Paradise at the time of this posting. Therefore, by spending time at Narada Falls or Paradise, it’s a PERFECT YEAR for snowshoeing or cross country skiing with nice weather. 

Panorama Point

NOTE: Check out the Live Cams & Weather Information at the right in the green section of this blog. The bottom right thumbnail photo is a link into the weather at Paradise. It will tell you the temperature, snow depth and wind if blowing. We use the cams regularly to decide when to head to the mountain. We check out the parking lot at Paradise for a visual of the conditions and always check to see if the mountain is visible. In the mountain view cam, you will see poles and sometimes heads of people standing near the sledding runs. All the cams are worth checking before a trip to Mount Rainier National Park.

     Written by: Sally Johnson

Winter Snowshoe & Ski Ashford & Mt. Rainier National Park has maps and information about the places to snowshoe or cross country ski this year at Mount Rainier. In blog postings recently, I have written about snowshoeing in Edith Creek Basin and Deadhorse Creek Basin and this blog about Skyline Trail all at Paradise. These places and more are mapped for you along with details which will make your winter experience at Mt. Rainier more enjoyable. Purchase a book here online and receive the information in three to four days. 

   $15.00

     $15.00                                            

There are still Mount Rainier Photo Calendars available for 2010. Hurry and get yours before they are all sold out!