The Mount Rainier area was voted “Best Wildflower Spot in The United States” and VisitRainier.com is making it as easy as possible for folks to enjoy them, by offering a wildflower identification guide, wildflower reports and a photo sharing contest.
In addition Visit Rainier will be tweeting (#wildflowerwatch) and posting updates to Facebook and the Visit Rainier Blog on what’s blooming and where.
“Wildflower season usually starts mid-July as the snow melt disappears,” said Mary Kay Nelson, executive director of Visit Rainier. “Part of what makes wildflower season so exciting is different flowers bloom at different elevations around the mountain at different times. A person could make several trips throughout the season from July till snow falls again October and see something new every time.”
To maximize visitor’s experience the Wildflower and Wildlife section on Visit Rainier’s website provides links to wildflower status reports, telling folks what is blooming and where; it provides a list of the Top 10 wildflower hikes around the mountain; it offers an online wildflower identification guide, and it links to 12 webcams around the mountain.
While many think of mesmerizing images on trails such as the Skyline Trail at Paradise or Summerland on the route to Sunrise, there are also several spots people can experience acres of wildflowers without even having to leave the car. The meadows around Tipsoo Lake at the top of Chinook Pass are easy to view from the road, as are the meadows surrounding the Sunrise and Paradise areas. Crystal Mountain Resort’s gondola can whisk visitors up to 6,872 feet and put them in the heart of wildflower meadows.
For more information on all there is to see and do at Mount Rainier and its surrounding communities visit www.visitrainier.com.
