Summer time is a wonderful time to pick up the camera and shoot. Long days, extended sun, dramatic light, and in this post’s case, peak bloom around Washington’s tallest peak Mt. Rainier. I had the privilege in 2021 to visit Mount Rainier National Park in late July/early August with a group of college friends and had a blast. In regards to this blog I will focus on just the photography aspect of the park in mid-to-late summer. This time of year is second to none in terms of photographic potential at this location in the Pacific Northwest. I could have spent another week and would not have exhausted the photographic possibilities the park had to offer circumventing its shining ice-capped crown. Mount Rainier stands a couple of hours away from Seattle depending on traffic and there are places to lodge, camp, or rent surrounding the National Park boundary.
Paradise is the most popular center of park activity and have some of the most colorful meadows of wildflowers on the continent which precede the foothills of the mountain. On the first day, we hiked the Skyline Trail, a six mile loop that meanders through wildflower fields and alpine terrain.
The loop presents various photographic vantage points on Mount Rainier, especially during morning light. With our group, we started mid-morning after breakfast and an a sunrise session at Reflection Lakes. Light could have been enhanced if I had started at sunrise. Unfortunately, however, in summer time the sun rises to the northeast and Skyline Trail hikes south of the pinnacle. Autumn actually provides a more direct positional sunlight towards the mountain. In summer, the Sunrise Area of the park offers the more pleasing angles, albeit not as lush of wildflower fields. On this trip when we hiked Sunrise two days later, smoke from nearby forest fires obscured views of the mountain.
In addition to wildflowers on Skyline Trail, Myrtle Falls is an interesting foreground element to incorporate into your Mount Rainier compositions. I leaned my camera against the wooden fence for stability in order to use slow waterfall- appropriate shutter speed. The waterfall is larger and more impressive when you hike down a short trail to more of the base. However, the fall from there is in deep shade and hard to equalize with the brightly lit fields and mountain. I opted to shoot from the main trail.
On the next day, which was overcast and rainy, we hiked to Narada Falls and then through the Grove of the Patriarchs. These were excellent conditions to focus on the forest greens and turquoise waterfalls. Also, damp, still, overcast days are occasions to select still life flower studies to hone in on.
On the way to Narada, there are many waterfall opportunities along the Paradise River. With a tripod in hand, the waterfalls provide endless possibilities for photographic exploration.
Check out my image gallery from the Pacific Northwest. With Mount Rainier (and Olympic), the best advice for photography is to figure a way to get out there in the summer. Rainier is best for late July/Early August; Olympic for earlier in July. I’ll try to discuss Olympic National Park and Seattle in later posts. The landscapes, flora, and wildlife of the Pacific Northwest are second to none in the summertime. Happy shooting!
