High Sierra Topix

If the dry summer in the Sierra Nevada is making you pine for the wildflowers, then head to the Pacific Northwest. We just got back from a trip to Olympic National Park and Mount Rainier (plus Redwood National Park on the way back). We hit Rainier right at the peak of the wildflower season (last weekend) - definitely the best flowers I've ever seen in the mountains. Here's a couple of photos:

Beautiful Tim, was taken up towards Paradise? How did you like ONP?

maverick wrote:Beautiful Tim, was taken up towards Paradise? How did you like ONP?

Yes this was at Paradise (the Nisqually overlook hike - we only had a couple of hours as we were driving back from Seattle to Portland that day). In terms of ONP we actually preferred Rainier to Hurricane Ridge (where the flowers were decent but a little past their best) because you feel so much closer to the mountain at Paradise and the glaciers are surprisingly distant at Hurricane Ridge. However, they do sell a great T-shirt at the Hurricane Ridge visitor center with Muir's quote about the mountains are calling and I must go.

The nicest bit of ONP was the rainforest and just the variety of things to see (we even had a clear day at Rialto beach). Much easier to spend a week there doing touristy things and going to all the different places, which I think would be hard at Rainier. I'd definitely think of going back for a backpacking trip either in the rainforest at ONP or the Wonderland trail at Rainier.

The tall trees hike at Redwoods was also very nice on the way back (though surprisingly hot - got up to 85 in the afternoon).

Nice! Thanks for the report & photos. I'm heading up to Goat Rocks week after next, and hoping the wildflowers will still be blooming...