A full day out · 14,411 ft
Mount Rainier
Two and a quarter hours each way, and worth every minute of it — but only if you have the hours.
Rainier is 14,411 feet, carries more glacier ice than any other mountain in the lower forty-eight, and is close enough to Seattle that it appears at the end of city streets. Paradise, at 5,400 feet on the south side, is where the subalpine meadow is; peak bloom is usually the last week of July into the first week of August. Sunrise, on the north-east at 6,400 feet, opens later — late June or early July — and runs weeks behind Paradise all season.
Park entry is paid per vehicle at the gate and is not in our price. The timed-entry reservation system that ran in recent summers was cancelled for 2026, so there is no booking to make — but the Paradise car park still fills by about nine on a summer weekend. We leave early for that reason, not for effect.
What our drivers would tell you
- This does not fit a cruise turnaround day. We will tell you so rather than sell it to you and race the clock.
- Paradise can be in cloud while Seattle is sunny, and the other way round. We check the mountain forecast the night before.
- Snow lies at Paradise into July. The meadow walk is paved but it is still 5,400 ft.
Where it is
On these tours
- ✓Mount Rainier — 10h, from $1,350
Nearby, and often on the same day
What else fits around Mount Rainier.
7h 30m
4h 00m
8h 00m
8h 00mBuild a day with Mount Rainier and see the price.
Tap the places you want on the home page. We work out the driving, tell you honestly if it will not fit, and show the whole vehicle price before you give us a name.