From Glaciers to Waterfalls: Mount Rainier & Columbia River Gorge
Golden hour hitting the peaks of Mount Rainer
The Pacific Northwest stretches from Washington State to Eastern Oregon, reaching into Idaho and British Columbia, with coastal waters, lush rainforest, and some of the country's best national parks. It's a dream for outdoor lovers like us. Our two-week road trip gave us just enough time to get a real taste of what makes this region so special. This leg of the trip covers two of our favorites: Mount Rainier National Park and the Columbia River Gorge.
Planning Notes
Getting there: Fly into Seattle-Tacoma International, rent a car. Download offline Google Maps beforehand, connection drops in the mountains.
Road closures: Paradise Valley Road and Stevenson Canyon Road close October–May for snow. Even mid-June had partial Stevenson Canyon closures, check current conditions before you go.
Weather: Cold and rainy even in summer, pack layers, a waterproof jacket, and hiking boots.
Camping gear: We packed our own tent and pillows, and rented sleeping bags, pads, a cooler, and a camp stove from REI Co-op in Bellevue.
Post card from our camping spot in Mt Rainer National Park
Mount Rainier, Paradise Area (Days 1–2)
We entered through the Nisqually entrance, which gives you access to both the Longmire and Paradise areas. If there's heavy snow, hikes will take longer than expected, bring crampons or rent snowshoes at the visitor center.
The Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center is a good first stop, general info, ranger programs, restrooms, and food. From there, the Skyline Trail Loop is the big one, a hard 6.2-mile loop (about 3 hours 40 minutes) hitting all the Paradise Area highlights: Myrtle Falls, Panorama Point, and Glacier Vista.
If that sounds like a lot, break it up instead. Panorama Point from Paradise Inn is a moderate 4.1-mile out-and-back (about 2.5 hours) that still gets you to Glacier Vista and Panorama Point. Or keep it easy with the Myrtle Falls Viewpoint via Skyline Trail, just 0.8 miles round trip (about 23 minutes). The falls were snow-covered when we visited, we actually walked over them, so late summer is the better time to see them running.
Narada Falls is an easy add-on, view the top from the parking lot, or take the steep 0.2-mile trail down to the base. And don't skip Reflection Lake, best at sunrise or sunset, when Mt. Rainier's reflection is at its clearest. From here, the Pinnacle Peak Trail climbs 1,050 feet over a hard 2.9-mile out-and-back for views of Rainier, Adams, and St. Helens all at once.
Views from Skyline trail and Reflection Lake
Mount Rainier, Longmire Area
Longmire was the original park headquarters when Mount Rainier National Park was established in 1899. The Carter Falls Trail is an easy 2.6-mile out-and-back and another great sunset spot. Comet Falls and Christine Falls are reachable on one moderate 3.2-mile trail, two waterfalls for the effort of one hike.
Where we stayed: Cougar Rock Campground, right inside the park, two nights. In low season (late May–mid June, early Sept–early Oct) sites run first-come-first-served, you'll need to check with the ranger station directly. Heads up: there are no showers at the campground. We brought a solar shower bag and wilderness wipes, ended up relying mostly on the wipes, and eventually paid about $20 for a real shower at a Love's Travel Stop once we left the park. Worth planning for.
Food: Moe's in Darrington for breakfast sandwiches and coffee, about 30 minutes from Rockport.
Carter Falls is located near the Cougar Rock Campground, we found this to be an excellent spot to take in the sunset over Mt. Rainer
Days 3–4: Columbia River Gorge
From Mount Rainier, it's about 3 hours 20 minutes to Beacon Rock State Park, your entry point into the Columbia River Gorge. This 80-mile scenic canyon marks the border between Washington and Oregon and is famous for its waterfalls.
Beacon Rock State Park is worth the stop for the Beacon Rock Trail, a moderate 1.5-mile out-and-back that switchbacks up the core of an old volcano, with views down the Gorge toward Angels Rest and Cape Horn.
Falls Creek Falls takes a bit more effort to reach, the access road is unpaved and rough. We skipped the full 6.1-mile loop and instead followed trail No. 152A for a shorter 3.2–3.4-mile out-and-back to the falls.
Cross the Bridge of Gods from Stevenson, WA to Cascade Locks, OR ($3 toll each way), it's worth reading up on the Native American legend behind the name before you go. And stop by Vista House at Crown Point, built in 1918 as a rest stop for travelers, if you want the classic photo of Vista House framed by the Gorge, head to the Portland Women's Forum viewpoint instead.
Waterfalls Along the Historic Columbia River Highway
This stretch is the real highlight. Multnomah Falls is the famous one, 611 feet, Oregon's tallest, and it draws huge crowds. A reservation system is in place during certain seasons, so check ahead.
For something less crowded but just as rewarding, the Wahkeena Falls Loop Trail is a moderate 5.1-mile loop (about 3 hours 11 minutes) that passes six waterfalls: Wahkeena, Fairy, Ecola, Weisendanger, Dutchman, and both tiers of Multnomah. You can start from either the Multnomah or Wahkeena trailhead. After finishing, we treated ourselves to brunch at Multnomah Falls Lodge, pricey, but worth it for the view.
Latourell Falls, the third-largest in the Gorge, is an easy 0.2-mile walk to the base, or a 2-mile loop if you want to see both the top and bottom. Bridal Veil Falls is the easiest of the bunch, a simple 0.5-mile out-and-back.
Where we stayed: Two nights in a renovated RV named Delores at MilePost5 Camp in Carson, WA, a small, themed tiny-home camp run by a genuinely kind husband and wife, we found it on Airbnb. Lodging near Cascade Locks, OR is very limited, so book early if that's your preferred base.
More food: No PNW trip is complete without a brewery stop, we hit both Walking Man Brewing in Stevenson, WA and Backwoods Brewing Company in Carson, WA. For dessert, Scoopy's Social Club is a short walk from Walking Man and well worth it.
Wrapping Up
Between Rainier's glacier-carved trails and the Gorge's endless waterfalls, this stretch of the Pacific Northwest packs an incredible range into just a few days.
