Things To Do
Mount Rainier National Park
It's the perfect time of year to see the wildflowers! From experience, the line to enter the park starts to back up around 10am on weekends in summer. Prepare for long lines for Paradise area. On Sunday, Sam and Jess will lead two separate groups for hikes in Mount Rainier National Park! Both groups will go to the Paradise area and hike along the Skyline Trail. Sam will lead a group on a more challenging hike clockwise along the entire 5.7-mile Skyline Trail. Jess will lead an easier 3.8-mile hike counter-clockwise along the paved portion of the Skyline Trail, then cut back to the visitor center along the downhill unpaved Golden Gate trail through the meadows. We encourage folks to join either and feel free to turn around or take alternative trails back earlier for a shorter distance! Here's a map of the Skyline Loop trail: https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/skyline-trail.htm
Longmire Museum
Still want to check out the National Park but don't want to hike? Check out the Longmire History Museum at the Longmire Visitor Center in the National Park.
Ashford County Park
Want to avoid the National Park (and its lines and fees) altogether? Ashford has a beautiful 80-acre park that is kid-friendly and has walking paths through the forest and wetlands. Includes playgrounds, bathrooms, ADA-compliant paths, and scenic hiking trails.
Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad
For $33, you can enjoy a 1 hour and 15 minute, 12-mile round trip train ride through forest landscapes, aboard a vintage train.
RailCycle Mt. Rainier
A 20-minute drive from the Inn is a fun family-friendly pedal-powered rail bike excursion that offers a unique way to experience the area via old railroad lines. The company offers a variety of types of excursions, ranging in price from around $80-150, available for all ages.
Alder Lake Park
Relax by the water, swim, fish (for very specific fish, as allowed by law) bring a boat or kayak, and enjoy a playground at this city park on Alder Lake, a lake to which the Nisqually River runs down from Mount Rainier. A $10 day use pass is required. Swim in the lake at Sunny Beach Point.
Stringtown Farm Christmas Trees (U-cut & Pre-cut)
Closer to a 30-minute drive is Springtown Farms, a small vineyard and lavender and Christmas tree farm near Eatonville. They open starting July and you can stroll the vineyards and/or lavender field, view Mt. Rainier, use their picnic tables, and experience beautiful lavender famous in the PNW.