Four Itchy Feet

July 24, 2025. Tacoma, Washington. Day 64 of 170

Today, we returned to the Paradise area of Mount Rainier National Park. We were so disappointed that we couldn’t hike in the Paradise area today, especially after our last visit to the park, which brought back fond memories of hiking in the snow. This time, we expected the snow to be gone and the trails open. We were sadly met with the fact that we couldn’t park anywhere. Paradise is one of the areas that doesn’t require daily access permits, and it was simply a driving gridlock at the top. We had driven all the way from Tacoma, two hours away, so we simply weren’t going to give up on a hike. So, we headed down to lower elevations for two shorter hikes.

Our first hike was Twin Firs. This is a super easy 0.4-mile loop with little elevation change. As soon as we entered the trail, we found ourselves in a thick forest with enormous firs and redwoods. It was a great example of the forest at this elevation in the park.

We then headed up a bit to Carter Falls. This is a more strenuous hike at about 2.8 miles with 660 feet of elevation change. From the trailhead, we immediately dropped into the Nisqually River gorge to cross a log footbridge over the river. The river was furiously rushing under us, and we experienced the cool wind rushing down from the mountain through the gorge. The rest of the hike was a steady climb but was very well maintained with flat ground under our feet.

Although we didn’t get to hike the Paradise area, we feel very fortunate to have found these two wonderful hikes in the park. The lesson learned for us: if you want to hike the Paradise area trails, you must get to the park very early. Our last day at Mount Rainier National Park left us once again satisfied and wanting to return.