skyline trail

We were fortunate to have a perfect day in early August for a perfect hike! Many Sound-Of-Music moments, ascending ridges to a glorious views! As we approached Panorama Point, we watched as people struggled across the icy ridge of the Lower Skyline Trail and decided to take the longer High Trail--it was rocky with quite a bit of snow, but definitely worth the hike--absolute paradise! I always hike with trekking poles, and they were helpful on this trip! You could see Mount St Helen's, Mount Adams, and Mount Hood, among others!

This trail is 5.5 miles, not 5 as listed above. One has the option at mile marker 3 to split left and continue for another 2.5 miles ending up at Paradise Inn or continue down The Golden Gate Trail which cuts off 1.5 miles making it a total of 4 which is what I did. I decided this due to what the staff at the hotel had to say: The Golden Gate Trail would provide an abundance of wildflowers and since this is why I came in August, this is what I did.One can start clockwise or counterclockwise. I did the former and it starts next to the visitor center (located next to Paradise Inn) with a quote by John Muir on granite steps. No driving req'd if you are staying at the inn. Counterclockwise are the steps right outside Paradise Inn located to the right and at the end of the parking lot. I did not see a sign for this…….I headed out at 8:30 am on a beautiful cloudless August morning. It was already 83 degrees F. The path splits a little way up but I continued left as there was construction on the path directly in front. It was paved and shady for a good way up. It turned into gravel but it was a well maintained path. Nisqually Glacier is right there!!!! Considering Paradise Inn is already at 5600 feet above sea level and you are climbing another 1400 that is 7000 feet which is almost half way up Mount Rainier. You cross over a small snowfield and what sounds exciting can be very slippery. I was wearing high quality hiking shoes and slipped several times. On up we go - mini switchbacks abound. I stopped several times for air and to admire the gorgeous mountain range on this clear day. Mount Adams and Mt Saint Helens were clearly visible and I have never had such incredible pictures like this. I could have turned around here and it would have been worth the jaunt up.The first major destination is Panorama Point. There is plenty of room to have a snack and rest. There is a pit toilet just up the hill in back of this point cleverly hidden into the mountain and it reminds me of a troll entrance or maybe a hobbit.WATER UP and bring sunscreen. I burned badly because I put it on too late. I also suggest a hat. Yes, ladies you to. Sunglasses hinder the view but the hat allows one to see clearly with no glare.Anyway, when you are ready to start back up, it is here you can cross over the huge snowfield or go up to Highline Trail. I started out onto the snow but again it was dangerous and there is a sign saying you cross at your own risk. Should you slip and fall, you can slide A LONG WAY down. Could be fun if you knew you would not get hurt.I turned back and opted for go higher up. Man, the trail becomes very unkempt and rocky. More walls of snow at the top. Once here I thought I have made it and now it is easy peezy going down. The joke was on me.I cussed the whole time while trying to get down this horrible rocky path. There were HUGE boulders in some cases to get around. I was extremely lucky I brought my walking stick. For me, it would have been bad. I cannot express how many times I relied on it while getting down this mountain! I began to wish I had crossed the snowfield instead. The end of the snowfield brings you past most of this rocky boulder stuff.Once I was over the rocky area I thought "ok, now I am good". Well, not yet. This is roughly where the 3 mile marker is at. The sign can easily be missed. To the left, Skyline continues into woods. If it stays wooded, I don't know. To the right is Golden Gate Trail consisting of switchbacks and wildflowers and no shade. It was getting hotter. I had a camel backpack with 4 liter capacity and I was almost out of water with 1 mile to go. It was ironic given all the waterfalls surrounding me in this valley and there are many.Almost to Paradise Inn is Myrtle Falls on the left. You can't miss the crowd or the glacier flow in front of you turning into the waterfall under the bridge. Beware. It is a paved STEEP path down to the falls. You have to leap at the bottom to finish getting to a flat spot to take pictures but it sure is nice. It may take a while with the throngs of people here.Well, if you decide that you only want to see the valley of wildflowers and Myrtle Falls, then the walk is minimal and paved all the way back to Paradise Inn. It would be worth a short jaunt for stunning pictures - maybe a quarter mile round trip?I got back at 3:00 pm to the lobby of the hotel so it took me 6.5 hours and they say it is supposed to take 3.5-4 hours for the entire Skyline Trail. I did not feel so bad when another lady spoke with me at dinner (she lost her family on the trail somewhere and we first talked there) and she said it ended up taking them 6 hours. They also did the Golden Gate cutoff but crossed the snowfield.Again, if it is a clear day, hike it. The views at the top are unparalleled.

It's really skyline when you approach the top of the trail. Not very hard but really crowded, and if it's the beginning of the summer, the melting snow makes it worse, so be careful. but the view is definitely grand from the bottom all way up. Imagine you're at the very root of a big snow-covered sleeping volcano, very Lord-of-the-Ring style~ definitely good spot for all kinds of photo shooting, just make sure you're not standing in the way of those professional hikers who are on their way of "the Wonderland Trail" which circles around the Rainier. and the Hotel down hill is very quaint as well, make sure you stop by the visitor center. parking is a little bit hard to find, go further, there's additional parking on the other way.

We very much enjoyed the skyline trail. The area is very beautiful and the trail itself is not that difficult (we are not experienced hikers). Unfortunately, the eastern part of the trail was closed due to maintenance. We could not get to Myrtle Falls. However, I would really recommend the skyline trail for one day visitors of this part of the park.

I did this early October on a clear day and it was spectacular. You need to be in fit to get to the peak of this trail but it's worth every calorie wasted. Beautyful scenaries along the way and spectacular panoramas from the top. Takes few hours to do the loop so prepare with some snacks and water.

My favorite hike in years! Beauty, views, sounds of wildlife, water, ice burg breakage, and wind. No better

This hike is as good as it gets at Mt. Rainier. You start the loop trail at the Paradise visitor center. We chose to hike the trail counterclockwise, reaching beautiful Myrtle Falls in about a 1/2 mile. Very good photo op here at the lower viewpoint, looking towards the falls, the wooden bridge, and Mt. Rainier in the distance. You continue on the Skyline Trail through open meadows and beautiful scenery of Mt. Rainier. I can only imagine how pretty this hike would be during peak wildflower season, but we were about a month too late for that as we hiked this route in mid-September. As you continue to increase elevation, you leave the meadows behind and reach the rocky High Skyline Trail, which has some pretty decent elevation change. Once you reach the top, you are rewarded with in your face views of Mt. Rainier. Very rewarding hike! You can even see climbers far off in the distance making their way to the summit. Highly recommended!

The most scenic hike I've ever been on. It's about a 6-mile loop, goes through fields of wild flowers, then more rocky terrain as you get closer to the glaciers on mt rainier. We went through a snow field, saw waterfalls coming off the glaciers, heard the cracking of glaciers on the move, had a 360 view of surrounding mountains, including mt Adams and mt St. Helens. Just incredible.

If you are not in shape, it can be a hard trail, but the views are wonderful. Be sure to look for the Nike Swish on the side of the mountain. I was surprised the first time I saw it. You can go to where the Paradise Ice Caves used to be to see some beautiful waterfalls. Bring water with you and a pair of binoculars.

We did this hike on a clear, sunny day in late August, and the views were gorgeous. We could see Mount Rainier most of the way up. (You should be able to see the mountain from the Paradise visitor center. If not, it's too cloudy, so do the hike another day.) Be sure to pick up a map from the visitor center, preferably the day before if you want to get an early start. You can probably see more animals earlier in the day; we saw a ptarmigan, marmots, ground squirrels, and elk. You should definitely wear good hiking shoes, since you will encounter snow, and it is a steep climb. When we were there a fleece jacket was sufficient, though a waterproof layer was also useful closer to the top. Unless your kids are experienced hikers, it's probably best for teenagers and above. It took us 5 1/2 hours because we took a lot of pictures and took a break for lunch.We went clockwise which I think is easier in case you want to try the shortcuts. The Alta Vista detour was closed at the time. We brought lunch to eat at Panorama Point. The restroom there is probably one of the cleanest pit toilets I've been to. My husband and son went on to the upper Skyline trail, while my daughters insisted on taking the shortcut. The lower Skyline trail is a narrow snow ledge along the edge of a snowy slope (there's a sign advising against taking it.) It was slow going and rather harrowing. We went one step at a time, leaning into the slope. My husband and son said there were good views further up, and they could see mountain climbers on Mount Rainier. They crossed a small patch of snow. We split again with my husband and son going the long way, while we went on the Golden Gate Trail. On a dry day, it is an easy way down, since it is made of packed down dirt. It's steeper than the way we came, so I think it would be harder to go up this way. Both paths meet at Myrtle Falls and then it's a short walk back down to the visitor's center.

This is the trail to do at Paradise. The Dead Horse trail parallels but this one connects to everything. Much of it is paved but be prepared to do 1000' or more of elevation in a few miles.

Very well maintained and clearly marked. It's 5.5 miles long with an 1,625 foot elevation gain so allow plenty of time if you aren't use to this type of hike. I noticed that some people hiked very quickly and traveled light. I carried a 16 oz water bottle, light snack and camera for a day that was clear and cool (not cold).

Take the trail in a counterclockwise direction to get the most views of Rainier. There is a bathroom the the top that is surprisingly clean.

Be ready for the most amazing vistas as you ascend the trail that will give you a choice of taking the high route that connects to the Camp Muir trail OR the lower route that crosses snowfields and still provides unmatched views of Mt. Rainier, the Tatoosh Range and meadows of wildflowers.This is a moderate to difficult hike at altitude that some start to feel dizzy ... bring good hiking shoes, water and your camera.

This loop trail goes through subalpine meadows and then above the tree line to snow fields and rocky areas with amazing views of glaciers, distant peaks and the summit of Rainier. Definitely requires sturdy footwear such as hiking boots and good lungs and knees. Tops out about 7,000 feet above sea level.