Mount Rainier from the Road

As you may have guessed from my previous post, I went to Mount Rainier National Park after hanging around in Seattle for a couple of days. I was on a trip with my three girls so I didn’t have any delusions about going out and spending all day hiking and taking beautiful photos. What photos I got were mostly opportunistic working around my time with the kids. But, even without a lot of self-focused time, Mt. Rainier is a beautiful place to experience, even if mostly from the road.

Fortunately, there are quite a few pull-outs along the roads at the park that allow you to get some good photos, if not terribly unique photos of the park. On my first morning there was a stubborn low haze across the landscape and I think it made for a nice scene from the side of the road. My daughter didn’t see what the big deal was.

There are also a few lakes along the road that gave the opportunity for some reflections. It seems like there are always a few wildflowers up in the mountains even into late summer and I was lucky to find a few near the lake. The shot below was midday and I had the bright idea to use a polarizer to enhance the foliage and sky, but this also unenhanced the reflection in the lake. So, maybe a compromise. This is probably my favorite Mt. Rainier photo.

I did manage to drag the girls on a short hike to Bench Lake and I got to shoot a long exposure of the mountain’s reflection and then my eldest daughter jumped in the cold lake. Better her than me. Anyway this is the long exposure, which was pretty easy when the lake was calm without girls splashing around in it. This photo did pretty well on Flickr.

There was also a short hike down to a waterfall and one of the daughters hiked down to the viewing platform with me. At the top you can see a bridge with people on it looking down from the top. The trail starts there.

So, those were my impressions of Mt. Rainier mostly from the road or very close to it. Maybe one day I will come back on my own and have time to hike and wander about.

11 thoughts on “Mount Rainier from the Road”

  1. Great that you got to spend so much time with your daughters. One day they’ll all be gone, and these opportunities will become very rare.

    All beautiful photos, also. The waterfall is my favorite, just because it looks so unique.

    Liked by 2 people

  4. Sooo pretty! Each one is unique and stunning. Love the waterfall.
    Yes, you wouldn’t catch me jumping in that cold lake either. Where is the hot tub? LOL!
    Very glad you could all have a wonderful trip. Who knows, the older your daughters get, the more they may enjoy hiking. šŸ™‚

    Liked by 1 person

  6. The Bench Lake shots are beautiful. I especially like the second one. You also got super lucky with the weather!
    Nice that you went with your daughters. Good memories.
    I know you’re not a big fan of polarizers. But these kinds of clear day, blue sky over a mountain shots can result in some surprising effects. I have some photos of Mount Shasta with a glowing sky halo over the summit that was only visible through the polarizer. Ice crystal, perhaps?
    Though some of the local Shasta crowd might say it was Chakra energy.

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