10 hours · private hire · Late June – October for Paradise
Mount Rainier
14,411 feet, twenty-five glaciers, and the best meadow in the country.
Rainier carries more glacier ice than any other mountain in the contiguous United States and is close enough to Seattle that it closes the end of city streets. Paradise, at 5,400 feet on the south side, is the destination: subalpine meadow, paved walking loops, and the mountain directly above you.
It is about two and a quarter hours each way. Peak wildflower is usually the last week of July into the first week of August. Snow lies at Paradise into July and the road over to Sunrise opens later still — late June at the earliest, and weeks behind Paradise all season.
What you see
- Paradise, and the Skyline Trail loop as far as you want to walk it
- Narada Falls and Reflection Lakes on the way up
- The Grove of the Patriarchs' thousand-year cedars, road permitting
- Christine Falls under its stone arch bridge — the photograph everyone takes
Worth knowing before you book
- Park entry is $30 per vehicle for seven days and is not in the price.
- The timed-entry reservation system was cancelled for 2026 — there is nothing to book — but the Paradise car park still fills by about nine on a summer weekend. We leave at 6:30 for that reason.
- This does not fit a cruise turnaround day. We will say so rather than race your all-aboard time.
- In winter the road above Longmire is gated overnight and opens when it is ploughed. A winter Rainier day is a real trip, but it is Longmire and snowplay, not Paradise meadows.
The price, whole vehicle
| Vehicle | 10 hours | Per head* |
|---|---|---|
 SUV6 seats · 6 bags | $1,350 | $225 |
 Van · up to 1010 seats · 16 bags | $1,650 | $275 |
 Sprinter · up to 1414 seats · 20 bags | $1,950 | $325 |
*If you fill it. The vehicle price does not change with your party size — this column is only there so you can compare us with a per-seat coach.
In the price
- ✓The whole vehicle for the whole window — nobody else aboard
- ✓A driver-guide who stays with you all day
- ✓Pickup at Pier 91, Pier 66, your hotel, an address or Sea-Tac
- ✓Fuel, tolls, parking and the vehicle's ferry fare
- ✓Luggage space — cruise-day bags travel with you, at no charge
- ✓Bottled water, and a charging cable that fits your phone
- ✓Child seats on request, free
- ✓Free cancellation up to 24 hours before pickup
Not in the price
- ✗Mount Rainier / Olympic park entry — $30 per vehicle, seven days
- ✗Boeing Future of Flight — $14 admission · $42 factory tour, each
- ✗Space Needle, Chihuly, MoPOP — Timed tickets, book them yourself
- ✗Tasting fees in Woodinville — Usually $15–35, often waived on a bottle
- ✗Meals — Yours — we will stop wherever you like
- ✗Gratuity — Appreciated, never expected, never added
Where this day goes
