The place we are staying is called Alexanders Lodge and it is just a few miles from the entrance to the National Park. The lodge was originally built in 1899 and has had several owners who have remodeled and added bathrooms. It is a nice place with a pond and several hiking trails through some interesting rainforest. After a short hike through the rainforest, Kevin and I set out for a day in Mt. Rainier National Park. This park was established in 1899 and was the fifth designated national park. The mountain stands at 14,410 feet and is the most glaciated of all mountains in the lower 48 states. Mt. Rainier is still considered an active volcano. Most roads are closed going into Mt. Rainier due to high levels of snow. The mountain is so tall and the Pacific winds and clouds blow towards the Mt. Rainier that it creates its own weather. There are 3 major entrances to the park only one is open now the Nisqually Entrance. The road here is only open to Paradise which is around 17 miles, but my oh my, what an incredible 15 miles! We stopped a lot and took pictures of breathtaking waterfalls
framed by snow and we did a few hikes. The Christine Falls drop 69 feet in two intervals and can be seen from a pull out on the road. It is just beautiful. The Narada Falls drop 176 feet and is just spectacular. I hiked down for a closer look and Kevin stayed on the ridge. The path was snow covered and was a bit treacherous going down as I thought I might join the water at the bottom. The walk back up was not too bad. At Paradise, Mt. Rainier peeked out from behind the clouds and we got beautiful views of the mountain with a blue sky backdrop and it started snowing! The little bit of the park we saw was very beautiful and we would like to visit when we could see more of the park without a heavy winter coat.
