Paradise Found: The Skyline Trail

"Oh, what a paradise!"

That was Martha Longmire’s reaction upon seeing the lush meadows, spectacular wildflower displays, and the sublime scenery of Mount Rainier’s southern valley for the very first time in 1885. The name would stick. Today, the most popular area in Mount Rainier National Park is known as “Paradise,” and once you set your own eyes upon it you’ll understand why.

Based on the photos and the information I gathered beforehand, I had the feeling that the Skyline Trail in the Paradise Valley was going to be a great hike. However, I probably underestimated just how amazing it really would be. The Paradise area is absolutely stunning. In fact, I would probably have to rank the Skyline Trail among my top 5 hikes of all time.

First time visitors may find the network of trails at Paradise a little confusing. You’ll have several options, but the most popular route is the Skyline Trail loop. You can hike the loop “as is”, or you can tack on side trails to explore additional territory, or use connectors to cut-off portions of the hike and decrease your overall mileage. Fortunately the trail junctions are all well marked.

For our hike we basically stayed on the main loop and hiked in a clockwise direction. Our only deviation was the side trip to visit Alta Vista, which is a little more than a half-mile from the trailhead.

The hike begins near the Paradise visitor center. Here you’ll find one the most interesting and unique trailheads you’ll ever come across. Etched into the stone steps is a quote from John Muir about his reaction to seeing this incredibly beautiful valley in 1889:

"... the most luxuriant and the most extravagantly beautiful of all the alpine gardens I ever beheld in all my mountain-top wanderings."

Much of the lower portions of the trail are paved, but include some relatively steep sections.

Although it was a little late in the season there were quite a few wildflowers that were still in bloom during our early-September hike. As the wildflower season progresses you’ll have the opportunity to see avalanche lilies, pink heather, Western pasque, Rosy spirea, purple lupine, cinquefoil, magenta paintbrush, bistort, Jacobs ladder, lousewort, valerian and many others at various times throughout the spring and summer.

Despite the top of Mount Rainier being shrouded in fog that morning, we still had outstanding views of the rugged Tatoosh Range towards the south, as well as views of the Nisqually Glacier towards the north and west. Nisqually is the 7th largest glacier on the mountain, and covers an area of roughly 1.8 square miles.

The glaciers on Mount Rainier are a result of the heavy amounts of snow that fall each winter. In a typical year, roughly 53.6 feet (643 inches) of snow will fall in the Paradise area. For many years Paradise held the world record for most snowfall in one year. During the winter of 1971-1972, 93.5 feet (1122 inches) of snow fell in the valley!

When traveling or hiking in Mount Rainier National Park it’s always a good idea to bring rain gear along. Because of its immense size, the mountain is able to create its own weather.

With so much of the mountain covered in ice and snow, it’s hard to believe that Mt. Rainier is part of the “Ring of Fire,” a string of volcanoes that almost circles around the entire Pacific Ocean. Indeed, Rainier is still an active volcano. It occasionally spews ash and steam, and there are periodic earth tremors. The last small eruption took place in the late 1800s, while the last large eruption occurred about 1000 years ago.

The premier destination on the Skyline Trail loop is Panorama Point. Although the views are outstanding along the entire route, they are at their absolute best from Panorama Point. On a clear day this vantage point provides amazing views of the Tatoosh Range, as well as Mount Adams, Mount St. Helens and Mount Hood in the far-off distance. From this perch Mount Rainier and the Nisqually Glacier are practically right on top of you. Although the uppermost portions of the mountain were socked in for the majority of our hike, we were still surrounded by incredibly beautiful scenery.

Just beyond Panorama Point hikers will have the option of taking the lower Skyline Trail, or continuing up the main trail. The lower Skyline Trail cuts off about a half-mile from the hike, however, it crosses over a fairly large snowfield. The first fifty yards of the cut-off is relatively safe, however, the trail makes a fairly steep descent down the snowfield before returning to terra firma. It became quite obvious that this section of the trail was entirely out of our league. None of us felt comfortable trying to negotiate the slick ice at such a steep angle. So, we backtracked and took the main route that travels above the snow. Over the next three-tenths of a mile the trail climbs more than two hundred feet to the highest point on the loop. It was all worth it though, as this vantage point provides the best views of the Nisqually Glacier on the entire route.

As we progressed down the mountain we passed two large groups of climbers as they made their way up to Camp Muir. Their ultimate destination, at least they hoped, was to the summit of Mount Rainier. Further down the trail we could see climbers assembled on the lower portions of the Nisqually Glacier – presumably getting ready to practice self-arrests on the snow and ice.

Mt. Rainier has a rich climbing history. The 14,410-foot mountain was the training ground for the first successful American expedition to Mt. Everest in 1963, and has served as a training ground for climbers ever since.

When we arrived at Paradise that morning the top 4000 or 5000 feet of Mount Rainier was socked-in by clouds. As the day progressed, however, we were incredibly lucky to have the sky completely open up for us. Almost two-thirds of the way through the loop we noticed that the clouds had dispersed from the peak, and for at least a half-hour or so we had completely unobstructed views of the mountain. The peak is absolutely massive - much bigger than I imagined, and far larger than any other mountain I've ever seen.

As we continued further down the mountain we happened to pass an older woman ascending the trail. As we stopped and chatted for a few minutes, my curiosity finally got the best of me. I had to ask how old she was. She replied, stating she was 88 years old! She also said that she had climbed Mt. Rainier 11 years ago - at the tender age of 77! She said she made the ascent in 19 hours straight, and bypassed the normal overnight bivouac at Camp Muir. We asked what her name was, and she also told us that the local press had covered her climb, as she had become the oldest woman ever to climb the peak.

So, when we returned home a couple of weeks later, we did a little research on Bronka Sundstrom. We promptly discovered that she's a bit of a local legend. She and her late husband have hiked, snowshoed and skied in the park on hundreds, if not thousands of occasions. We also found out that Mrs. Sundstrom was a Holocaust survivor, having been a prisoner of the Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen concentration camps during WWII. Looking back now, we really wished we could have spent more time talking with her. If there's a takeaway from our chance meeting, it's to live life to the fullest: do the things you like more often, and if possible, do the things you dislike less.

Towards the end of the loop you’ll pass by Myrtle Falls:

The Skyline Trail loop should be on every hiker’s bucket list. The hike was so incredibly beautiful that it was the first time that I ever kept my camera in my hand for the entire trip. The amazing scenery just never ended!


Trail: Skyline Trail
RT Distance: 5.7 Miles
Elevation Gain: 1650 feet
Max Elevation: 7015 feet
TH Location: Paradise
Map: Mt. Rainier National Park Trails Illustrated Map

Day Hike! Mount Rainier uncovers the best trails for the day tripper, whether you’re a newbie hiker or a veteran with hundreds of miles on your boots. Northwest outdoors expert and Seattle Times's Trail Mix columnist Ron Judd reviews more than 50 of the best day hike trails in Mt. Rainier National Park, from Paradise and Sunrise to the lower foothills. The book describes classic routes - from easy to moderate to extreme - giving hikers the choices they want.

The Panorama Trail

“If I were so time-poor as to have only one day to spend in Yosemite I should start at daybreak, say at three o'clock in midsummer, with a pocketful of any sort of dry breakfast stuff, for Glacier Point, Sentinel Dome, the head of Illilouette Fall, Nevada Fall, the top of Liberty Cap, Vernal Fall and the wild boulder-choked River Cañon.”

- John Muir

Many of those places described by John Muir in the quote above are found along the Panorama Trail. In fact, Muir may very well have hiked this trail himself, as it's one of the older trails in the park, having been constructed in 1872. Today the Panorama Trail is still considered to be one of the premier hikes in Yosemite National Park.

Visitors will have a couple of options with regards to hiking the trail. If you have two cars in your party you can park at both ends of the trail for a one-way hike. You can also take the Glacier Point Tour bus, which provides hikers with a one-way shuttle. This option will allow you to take the bus up to Glacier Point, and then return back down to the valley via the Panorama Trail. You could also hike up the trail and then catch the bus on your return trip to the valley. There is a fee for this service.

You can also combine the Four Mile Trail and the Panorama Trail for a spectacular 12.6-mile, one-way hike. This was the option we decided to go with.

If you do decide to combine the two trails, the free shuttle service in the valley can be used to bridge the gap between the two trailheads. You may also want to note that you can purchase snacks and drinks from the Snack Stand at Glacier Point. If you’re going to depend on this for re-fills and refueling on your hike, you need to make note of their hours. Well water from a spigot is also available at Glacier Point, though it’s not the best tasting water in the world.

The hike begins from Glacier Point where some of the most iconic views of the Yosemite Valley are seen. Normally from this vantage point at 7200 feet you’ll have outstanding views of Half Dome, North Dome, Basket Dome, the Royal Arches, Tenaya Canyon and Yosemite Falls. However, on this day, we were rudely greeted by haze that greatly diminished the normally spectacular vistas.

2013 in Yosemite National Park will be remembered for a very long time. The Rim Fire, which would become the third largest wildfire in California history, burned more than 257,000 acres along the western edge of the park, and created haze that shrouded the surrounding area for several weeks.

After leaving the sights and crowds at Glacier Point, we ventured onto the Panorama Trail. The upper portions of the trail are wide open, and provide some outstanding panoramic views of the Yosemite Valley, Tenaya Canyon and Half Dome. It’s pretty apparent how the trail builders got their inspiration when it came time to naming this trail.

From Glacier Point the trail makes a short climb before it starts on its long descent towards Illilouette Fall. This portion of the route is fully exposed to the sun, making this a very hot and dusty hike during the summer months.

Until you reach the Merced River, several miles down trail, Half Dome will be the dominating feature on the landscape. The granite monolith rises almost 5000 feet above the Yosemite Valley floor, while topping out at 8836 feet in elevation.

Roughly 1.6 miles from Glacier Point you’ll reach an unmarked side trail that leads to an overlook of 370-foot Illilouette Fall. You’ll be able to hear the waterfall before you actually see the side trail.

Soon afterwards the trail temporarily bottoms out at Illilouette Creek, and then begins a moderately steep climb up to Panorama Point. Over the next three-quarters of a mile you’ll gain roughly 450 feet. Near the point where the trail levels out a bit, look for an unmarked side trail that branches off to the left. This spur leads to an overlook called Panorama Point - about 100 feet off the main trail - which provides a pretty awesome view of Half Dome, the Royal Arches and the Illilouette Gorge. Although it passes through some chest high brush, the short trail is easy to follow.

From Panorama Point the trail skirts above Panorama Cliff for the next mile-and-a-half, until reaching a three-way junction. After staying to the left to continue on the Panorama Trail, the route makes a fairly sharp descent down towards the John Muir Trail junction. Here you’ll have the option of continuing on towards Nevada Fall where the trail crosses over the top of the waterfall, before making a very steep descent down its north side. We opted to turn left onto the John Muir Trail, which offers an absolutely stunning view of Nevada Fall with Half Dome and 7076-foot Liberty Cap towering above the 594-foot waterfall.

The John Muir Trail is a world famous long-distance trail that traverses across the High Sierra. The northern terminus is at Happy Isles in the Yosemite Valley, while the southern terminus is located at the top of Mount Whitney, the highest point in the continental United States. In between the trail travels 215 miles while passing through Yosemite, the Ansel Adams Wilderness, Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park.

About half-way down the John Muir Trail you’ll reach another trail junction at Clark Point. If you wish to see Vernal Fall, which I highly recommend, you should take a right onto this connector trail. Although continuing down the John Muir Trail is shorter, and isn’t quite as steep as the Mist Trail, it does bypass the waterfall.

The connector trail descends roughly four-tenths of a mile down a very steep and rocky path. Take your time here, as the views above Vernal Fall are outstanding.

Once you reach the bottom of the connector trail you’ll take a left onto the famous Mist Trail. Soon you’ll arrive at the Merced River and the Emerald Pool, and shortly thereafter, the top of Vernal Fall.

From the top of Vernal Fall the trail makes an extremely steep descent down a couple hundred stone steps carved into the granite cliff wall. To reiterate some warnings from the park, you should descend the uneven and slippery steps with great care, and by no means get near the water, as many people have lost their lives over the years by slipping into the rapid currents of the Merced. Since 1924 at least 18 people have lost their lives after being swept over Vernal Fall.

The Mist Trail was already in use by the time the state of California took over management of the Yosemite Valley in 1864. Ladders were originally put in place so that hikers could climb to the top of Vernal Fall. However, after a man fell to his death, the ladders were replaced with wooden steps. Finally in 1897 the wooden steps were replaced with the stone steps that are used today. Hikers should note that there are no railings along much of this portion of the trail. Moreover, the steps become quite slippery during the spring and early summer months when mist from the waterfall sprays the entire canyon. Hikers are known to become completely drenched while passing through this section of the trail.

As you proceed down the stone stairway you’ll be treated to some outstanding upfront views of the 317-foot Vernal Fall.

Once below the carved steps section the trail crosses the Vernal Falls Bridge. Be sure to look up river here for one last view of the waterfall. From the bridge the trail descends straight downhill for eight-tenths of a mile on a paved path, before ending at the Happy Isles trailhead.


Trail: Panorama Trail
One-Way Distance: 7.9 Miles
Elevation Gain (Loss): 800 (4075) feet
Max Elevation: 7300 feet
TH Location: Glacier Point
Map: Yosemite National Park Trails Illustrated Map

Top Trails: Yosemite features 46 “must-do” hikes in Yosemite National Park, from scenic strolls, to full-day adventures, to spectacular backpacking trips. With at-a-glance information for each hike visitors can determine which hikes are most suitable to their skills, schedules and preferences. The book also provides elevation profiles, detailed maps, as well as information on which trails are child-friendly; where to see giant sequoias, waterfalls, lakes, wildflowers, autumn colors; the best photo opportunities; and which have camping, running or biking opportunities.