Mt. Rainier National Park reports
Currently Blooming
July has been unusually mild and wet so far, but the foggy weather has a way of making colors pop. Patches of scarlet paintbrush (Castilleja miniata) are blooming along roadsides in the Paradise area. Scarlet paintbrush can be bright red, but can range in color to orange or even yellow in rare cases! Peak bloom in the meadows is probably still a few weeks off, but a driving tour of the park is a good way to view wildflowers.
Please Note: As snow melts away, it may be tempting to skirt remaining patches of snow that are covering trails. However, by going off trail you are walking on and damaging the wildflowers that you may be coming to see! It is better to stay on trail even if that means crossing snow, particularly in the high-visitation meadows around Paradise and Sunrise.
Wildflower Reports
- Sunrise (7/17) – magenta paintbrush, phlox, pasqueflower seedheads, cinquefoil, fleeceflower, mountain sandwor
- Sunrise Road (7/17) – thimbleberry, arnica, sitka mountain ash, sitka valerian, phlox, bear grass, lupine, scarlet paintbrush
- Stevens Canyon Road (7/17) – thimbleberry, goat’s beard (lots!), bear grass, arnica, lupine, sitka valerian, rosy spirea, subalpine daisy, scarlet paintbrush, avalanche lily, thistle, slender bog orchid, tiger lily
- Paradise (7/15) – sitka mountain ash (early), scarlet paintbrush, rosy spirea, arnica, subalpine daisy, sitka valerian, oceanspray, avalanche lily (lots!), glacier lily, pasqueflower seedheads, pink mountain heather, Jeffrey’s shooting star, magenta paintbrush, bracted lousewort, tall bluebell, partridgefoot, rock penstemon
- Reflection Lakes & Lakes Loop Trail (7/14) – heather, Sitka mountain ash, Jeffrey’s shooting star, avalanche lily, lupine, magenta paintbrush, scarlet paintbrush, huckleberries, sitka valerian, bracted lousewort, arnica, fan-leaf cinquefoil, purple violets, slender bog orchid, marsh marigold, glacier lily, mountain dandelion, bistort, showy jacob’s ladder, curlybeak lousewort, spreading phlox, cliff penstemon, elephanthead, bear grass
- Comet Falls Trail, low to upper (7/14) – bunchberry, sitka mountain ash, columbine, Jeffrey’s shooting star, slender bog orchid, coralroot, bear grass, wild rhododendron, tiger lily, sitka valerian, elderberry, yellow monkeyflower, lupine, tall bluebells, magenta paintbrush, arnica, yellow violets
- Longmire-Paradise Road (7/11) – lupine, twin flower, pipsissewa, rattlesnake plantain, tiger lily, salal
See photos at Mount Rainier Flickr group!
Plan Your Visit
Paradise and Sunrise are two of the main visitor center areas at Mount Rainier National Park. Both areas are well known for their impressive wildflower meadows. The park also maintains dozens of trails perfect for wildflower viewing.
Leave a Reply