Paradise and Sunrise are the best areas of Mount Rainier National Park.
Best time to visit Paradise is around August when the flowers cover the park and the snows are almost all melted. You can hike the trails in summer athletic outfit, typical hiking boots and enjoy the mountain in good warm/hot weather. In my opinion, this is the best moderate hike to someone who wants to experience and appreciate the nature and mountains, without going in extreme levels of hiking. At the end of the hike, there is only air in between you and the mountain. It stands right in front of you and you can see the base and the waterfall vividly. I had a thought if the mountain was waiting for me to visit or if I was waiting all my life to visit the mountain. The only word to describe my whole experience is ‘wonder-struck’.
Sunrise area has a bit different view compared to Paradise. On Paradise trails, you are hiking towards the mountain and approaching closer to it after every miles while in Sunrise, you are hiking away or beside the mountain. You get to enjoy the mountain through a different perspective. The first picture below was taken from Sunrise area and the second was taken in Paradise. On Sunrise side, you are hiking at higher elevation. Me and my friends hiked to Dedge Peak, which elevated to 7006 ft. at Sunrise and to Panorama Point in Paradise that elevated to 6800 ft. Dedge Peak has its own speciality at the top. The last pic was taken there. The top of the peak is not big in size and it has bees hovering all over it. If you want to sit on the top, play music and chill like my friends did, you better take insect repellent spray or you will get bitten by the bees like I did.
P.S. On the whole, the view and the hike were perfect for summer 2017. I want to give special shout out to my awesome friends Dolkar and Mingmar. The trip could not be more dramatic and fun without these two.
SOME OF MY WORDS 