Spray Park

Starting from the Mowich Lake trailhead — the most remote drive-in point in Rainier — you'll drop through old-growth forest before the trail begins its real work: a sustained climb through increasingly open terrain toward Spray Park's subalpine meadows. The forest gives way to scattered mountain hemlocks, then to wide-open parkland where Rainier looms so close it feels like you could reach out and touch the glaciers. In late July and August, the meadows explode with lupine, paintbrush, and avalanche lilies carpeting every slope. You'll cross several meltwater streams and pick your way over rocky sections as the trail climbs toward Eagle Cliff and the upper spray fields. The payoff is one of the finest wildflower-and-volcano panoramas in the entire park — and because the Mowich Lake road keeps crowds thinner than Paradise, you might actually get to enjoy it without a conga line. This one rewards hikers who don't mind earning their views the hard way.