Last Updated: June 20, 2026
Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens are two of the most iconic volcanoes in the Cascade Range — a chain of snowcapped stratovolcanoes extending from British Columbia south to Northern California, all part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. Seeing both on the same trip is a study in contrasts: Rainier brooding and majestic under perpetual glaciers, St. Helens forever frozen in the aftermath of its 1980 cataclysm.
Mount Rainier National Park
Mount Rainier spent most of our visit wrapped in clouds — which is entirely normal for a 14,410-foot peak that creates its own weather. The mountain broke through a few times, revealing the massive glaciated summit that makes Rainier one of the most striking peaks on the continent. Not all of Mount Rainier National Park was open yet due to lingering snowpack, but we had access to enough of the park for excellent hiking and waterfall exploration.
Mount Rainier is an active stratovolcano — the most heavily glaciated peak in the contiguous United States, with 26 named glaciers covering roughly 35 square miles of its flanks. Those glaciers make a summit climb one of the most technically demanding and physically demanding in the lower 48: climbers typically spend three to five days on the mountain, and only about half of those who attempt the summit actually reach it.
We hiked to Carter Falls — a lovely 2.2-mile round-trip trail starting near Cougar Rock Campground, dropping through old-growth forest to a cascade on the Paradise River. Sandy made it across the log bridge with more grace than warranted given how icy it looked.
Mount Rainier peeked out of the clouds at Reflection Lake — but the wind had the water too choppy for the classic mirror-image reflection. We’ll take it. The lake sits in an alpine basin along the Stevens Canyon Road at about 4,860 feet, with Rainier looming above when the clouds cooperate.
Christine Falls is one of the most photographed spots in the park — a two-tiered, 69-foot waterfall on Van Trump Creek, framed perfectly by a stone arch bridge built by the CCC in the 1930s. It’s right along the road with minimal walking required, and the composition through the arch is stunning.
Narada Falls is another accessible gem — 168 feet of whitewater on the Paradise River, reachable via a short 0.2-mile paved path from the parking area. The spray from the falls keeps the surrounding mosses and ferns a vivid year-round green.
The alpine meadows were just waking up from winter — pasque flowers blooming right at the edge of the snowmelt pools, one of the earliest wildflowers to appear each spring at elevation. The subalpine meadows at Rainier are considered some of the finest in the Pacific Northwest when they reach peak bloom in late July and August.
Wildlife was scarce on our visit, but this Steller’s Jay more than compensated — bold, loud, and thoroughly convinced it was entitled to whatever we were eating. The Pacific Northwest’s answer to the Blue Jay, and every bit as assertive.
Even with the mountain hidden in clouds for much of our visit, Mount Rainier National Park is extraordinary — the forests, meadows, waterfalls, and the sheer scale of the landscape make it one of the great national parks of the Pacific Northwest.
We stayed at Mounthaven RV Resort, just a few miles from the Nisqually entrance to Mount Rainier National Park. The site was spacious and private with beautiful mature trees all around — but it came with caveats: 30-amp service only with chronically low voltage (frequently below 110V), requiring a boost, and even then our surge protector tripped numerous times. No satellite reception through the canopy, but their daytime internet was solid. Despite the electrical challenges, we enjoyed the stay.
A couple of miles from the RV park is the Wildberry Restaurant, which specializes in authentic Sherpa-Himalayan cuisine from Nepal — one of those unexpected finds that makes road travel so rewarding. Similar in spirit to Indian cuisine but somewhat milder on the spice. Very good, and a fitting tribute to the mountaineering heritage of the Rainier area.
A rare indulgence: pizza and cold beer at the Base Camp Grill in Ashford. After several days of hiking, it was exactly what we needed.
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
From Troutdale, Oregon we traveled north to Mount St. Helens. Our first day, the mountain was completely wrapped in clouds — the volcano entirely invisible from Johnston Ridge Observatory. We watched the excellent visitor center film about the 1980 eruption and spent time with the exhibits. The film alone is worth the trip.
We came back the next day and were absolutely not disappointed. On May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted in the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in U.S. history — killing 57 people (including innkeeper Harry Truman, who famously refused to evacuate), flattening 230 square miles of forest, and triggering the largest landslide in recorded history. The eruption reduced the summit from 9,677 feet to 8,363 feet and blew out the entire north face, leaving the dramatic horseshoe-shaped crater we see today. Standing at Johnston Ridge and staring directly into that crater — the lava dome still slowly rebuilding inside — is genuinely one of the most powerful experiences we’ve had in the national parks.
President Ronald Reagan designated the area a National Volcanic Monument in 1982 to preserve it as a living laboratory of ecological recovery. Weyerhaeuser replanted approximately 19 million trees on private timberlands surrounding the monument, while the U.S. Forest Service planted over 9 million trees — Noble fir, pine, cottonwood, Douglas fir, and hemlock — on federal lands. Vast tracts of managed replanted forest now cover the slopes, remarkable in how quickly forest is reclaiming land that was stripped bare in minutes on that May morning.
The blast zone was alive with wildflowers everywhere we looked — Cardwell’s Penstemon, Scarlet Indian Paintbrush, Bird’s-Foot Trefoil, and Lupine spreading across the recovering landscape in a vivid tapestry. Pioneer species like lupine are especially important to the recovery: their root nodules fix nitrogen into the depleted volcanic soil, helping pave the way for other plants and eventually forest.
Foxgloves were everywhere — in the open clearings and along the roadsides, thriving in the disturbed soil wherever trees had been harvested or hadn’t yet returned. Biennial plants like foxglove are classic early colonizers after disturbance events.
Fields of wildflowers bloomed wherever timber had been harvested after the eruption, so we took the opportunity for a family portrait among the foxgloves. Jake was less interested in posing than in investigating the chipmunk he had spotted.
Jake’s favorite obsession on any trail. This one was gracious enough to pose.
Visitor Information
Mount Rainier National Park: Tahoma Woods, Star Route, Ashford, WA 98304; 360-569-2211; nps.gov/mora; $35/vehicle. Open year-round, but many roads and facilities close due to snow — Paradise typically opens late May; the full park is accessible July through October. Mounthaven RV Resort: 38210 SR 706 E, Ashford, WA 98304; mounthaven.com; note 30-amp only with frequent low voltage — bring a surge protector. Wildberry Restaurant: 37720 WA-706 E, Ashford, WA 98304. Base Camp Grill: Ashford, WA. Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument: managed by Gifford Pinchot National Forest; 360-449-7800; fs.usda.gov; Northwest Forest Pass or $8/vehicle. Johnston Ridge Observatory: 24000 Spirit Lake Memorial Hwy, Castle Rock, WA 98611; typically open mid-May through October, weather permitting. Admission: $8/adult. Film and exhibits are excellent; plan 30–60 minutes at the visitor center before hiking.
Practical Tips
Check Mount Rainier road conditions before visiting — the Paradise area road typically opens in late May but closures can extend into June in heavy snow years (nps.gov/mora has current conditions). Arrive at Paradise early — the parking lot fills by 9–10am on summer weekends and cars are turned away. Don’t give up on cloudy days at Rainier — the waterfalls, meadows, and old-growth forest are spectacular even when the summit is invisible, and the mountain can reveal itself unexpectedly for just a few minutes at a time. Christine Falls and Narada Falls are both easily accessible from the road — ideal for a quick stop without significant hiking. Carter Falls is a worthwhile 2.2-mile round trip for those wanting a quieter trail. For Mount St. Helens, be patient with cloud cover — the mountain can remain completely hidden for an entire day and then appear dramatically the next morning. If St. Helens is socked in on arrival, visit the Johnston Ridge Observatory film and exhibits and return the following day. Binoculars help enormously at Johnston Ridge — the lava dome inside the crater is about five miles away, and details of the blast zone and ongoing recovery are much clearer with optics. Bring layers at both mountains — temperatures drop quickly with elevation, and the wind at Johnston Ridge can be biting even in summer.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall is Mount Rainier and why is it considered dangerous?
Mount Rainier stands at 14,410 feet — the highest peak in the Cascade Range and the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States. It is considered one of the world’s most dangerous volcanoes not because of its eruption risk (which is real but not imminent) but because of the massive lahars — volcanic mudflows — that would result from an eruption melting its 26 glaciers. Those glaciers cover approximately 35 square miles, and a major eruption could send catastrophic mudflows down river valleys toward the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area. USGS monitors the mountain continuously. As a climbing objective, the combination of altitude, crevassed glaciers, and unpredictable weather gives Rainier a summit success rate of roughly 50 percent even for experienced climbers — making it an excellent high-altitude training ground for peaks like Denali and Everest.
What happened when Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980?
On May 18, 1980, after weeks of earthquakes and smaller eruptions, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake triggered the largest landslide in recorded history on St. Helens’ north flank — destabilizing the bulging north face that had been swelling for two months. The collapse depressurized the volcano’s magma system instantly, triggering a lateral blast that traveled at up to 300 mph and flattened 230 square miles of old-growth forest in minutes. The eruption reduced the summit from 9,677 feet to 8,363 feet, created the dramatic horseshoe-shaped crater visible today, and ejected enough ash to deposit measurable layers across the eastern United States. Fifty-seven people died, including innkeeper Harry Truman, who famously refused to evacuate Spirit Lake Lodge despite repeated warnings. The event transformed understanding of volcanic hazards and established the mountain as the most closely studied volcano in the world.
What are the best waterfalls to visit in Mount Rainier National Park?
Mount Rainier National Park has several exceptional waterfalls at varying distances from the road. Christine Falls (69 feet, on Van Trump Creek) is one of the most photogenic — framed by a historic stone arch bridge and accessible with almost no walking. Narada Falls (168 feet, on the Paradise River) is a short 0.2-mile walk from the parking area and consistently impressive in volume. Carter Falls (on the Paradise River) requires a 2.2-mile round trip from Cougar Rock Campground through old-growth forest and is usually less crowded than the Paradise-area falls. Myrtle Falls, near the Paradise Visitor Center, offers a stunning view of the falls with Rainier as a backdrop on clear days. For a longer waterfall hike, the trail to Comet Falls (301 feet) is considered one of the finest in the park — a 3.8-mile round trip with significant elevation gain.
Is Mount St. Helens still an active volcano?
Yes — Mount St. Helens is considered the most active volcano in the contiguous United States. After the catastrophic 1980 eruption, St. Helens was relatively quiet until 2004, when a new eruption cycle began building a lava dome inside the crater. That dome-building activity continued through 2008 and added approximately 100 million cubic yards of new lava to the crater floor. The volcano has been relatively quiet since 2008 but remains closely monitored by USGS and the Cascades Volcano Observatory, which tracks seismic activity and ground deformation continuously. Scientists consider another eruption likely within decades — though the timing is impossible to predict. The Johnston Ridge Observatory, located just five miles from the crater, provides real-time monitoring data and is the best place for visitors to understand the ongoing volcanic history of the region.
