Mt Rainier National park has implemented a reservation system to limit the number of people that can enter the park on any given day. Eitan, of course, booked our time slot months ago, and he chose the 7:00 to 9:00 am one, which is the earliest.

That means waking up early again to drive about 45 minutes to the entrance of the National Park. There are two entrances, and we chose the Paradise corridor for this trip.

After a short line and showing our Annual National Pass card to the ranger, we entered our first stop. The Narada falls. A Stunning 168-foot-high waterfall.

Narada Falls is the largest waterfall accessible by car in the park and one of the most impressive. It is just a few minute hike down some stairs. It was FREEZING cold.

We continued our drive to the main Paradise visitor center. The parking lot was already full, but we were able to find a spot on the lower lot.

After researching the map with the help of Ariela and planning our stops, we started our hike to what was going to be one of the most beautiful places we had ever been.

It was wildflower season during our visit, so there were sooo many flowers and pollinators. They were so busy with the plants, no bee or bumblebee bothered us.

And many mushrooms too!

Ascending to 14,410 feet above sea level, Mount Rainier stands as an icon in the Washington landscape. An active volcano, Mount Rainier is the most glaciated peak in the contiguous U.S.A., spawning five major rivers. Subalpine wildflower meadows ring the icy volcano while ancient forest cloaks Mount Rainier’s lower slopes. Wildlife abounds in the park’s ecosystems.

The path along this hike was paved and very easy to do and the weather became hot! The views of Mt Rainier along the way are stunning. Ariela did so great in this hike! With just some of “can you please carry me on your shoulders, daddy?”

So Eitan obliged.

The park was established on March 2, 1899, as the fourth national park in the United States. The first ones were Yellowstone, Sequoia and Yosemite (in that order).

Really the photos don’t do it justice. It is by far the nicest National Park we have visited.

The visitor center is that building, which includes a lodge run by the National Park service.

The name of the mountain itself is “Tacoma”, (pronounced “Taquoma”) the same as the nearby city in the Puget Sound region.

It looked like Disney must have made this place because it looked like a perfect fairytale.

There are a lot of hikers attempting longer hikes. We needed to limit ourselves to the main shorter trails with Ariela. But one day we will be back to attempt the longer ones!

Someone got tired of the uphill hike.

Down a few stairs we arrived to the Myrtle Falls. And it took our breath away.

72 ft high and with Mount Rainier in the background. There is no doubt why this is the spot for all the postcard photos of Mt Rainier.

We continued our hike for just a little bit more uphill before turning back towards the visitor center.

Ariela rocked her very adequate hiking attire, grabbing many compliments from fellow hikers.

We realized that we needed to entertain Ariela with some roleplaying or tag game, so she would not even notice that she is hiking. We hiked many many miles throughout the trip with this little parental trick.

Sarah got tired and needed a little push by Ariela.

More incredible nature in progress.

Everywhere you view looks fake. The view downhill was also amazing and looks like a car commercial.

The beautiful girls.

More running around. She was having a blast!

We arrived at the Lodge. We, unfortunately, did not know about this hotel, otherwise we would have potentially stayed here. Prices range between $250 to $400. A little pricey, but considering the location it might be worth it for 1 day.

We drove a few more minutes to the Reflection lake.

Ariela did some great photoshoots.

We had our Subway (yes, again) sandwiches at the edge of the beautiful lake. We also smuggled a beer, which we truly enjoyed after the hike.

Our next stop was Bench Lake. There are 2 lakes in the vicinity, and people coming back to the parking lot looked exhausted, so after asking around, and seeing other parents carrying their kids, we decided to just go to the first lake only.

We played a few rounds of hide and seek. Someone please tell Ariela that we can see her there.

It was a long and harder hike to reach the lake. But when we arrived we were stunned by this beauty.

Honestly, this one should be called Reflection Lake instead.

Not sure if you noticed, but I flipped the photo above upside down. You don’t believe me? look at the woman on the right-hand side.

A little rest before going back on all uphill!

Ariela was hiking amazingly well, but then she got tired.

So tired that I had to carry her all the way up.

She fell asleep in my arms!

After relaxing for a few minutes in the car’s A/C, we started our drive back to Seattle. But not before stopping in another jaw-dropping viewpoint.

And the absolute last stop, this time for real, was the Christine Falls. A nice waterfall framed by a stone bridge

And that is it, my dear readers. This trip was an absolute blast and would recommend that everyone bring their families here. Especially small children for a nice intro to National Parks.

And with the help of Ariela’s tablet, we are once again on the road towards Seattle, to enjoy our last 2 days of city sightseeing.

Bonus pic of the day: We stayed the last 2 days in Bellevue, which is an extremely nice neighborhood East of Seattle. Amazon was founded in the garage of Jeff Bezos’s rented home in Bellevue. (not my photo)