When I arrived at Paradise (elevation 5400ft), the parking lot at the Jackson visitor center was packed, so I went to the lot near the Paradise Inn (the roof of the inn is visible the photo) and easily found a spot there. Then I went to the visitor center and spoke to a park ranger to help me decide what I should see in Paradise. She told me that Myrtle Falls would be close enough to walk to before I joined the ranger-led walk to Nisqually vista at 2p.m. (A map of the trails at Paradise is available at the park web site.) Having settled upon this, I found a spot just outside the visitor center where I ate my lunch and simultaneously enjoyed the views of the surrounding mountains.
Wildflowers carpeted the ground in Paradise. I had never seen so many wildflowers before! And of course, I couldn't resist taking photos of them. (My previous visit to Paradise was at the end of September 96, long after wildflower season.)
And the mountain looked magnificent. This is taken from Skyline trail, on the way to Myrtle Falls. Rainier is a relatively young volcano, only about 500,000 years old. In comparison, the Cascade Mountains that Rainier looks down upon are at least 12 million years old! The last estimated eruptions of Rainier have been from 1820-1894.
