Trip Report: Panorama Point, Mt. Rainier National Park
When: 3/15/2019
Location:Panorama Point - Mt. Rainier National Park
Conditions:Perfect, snow on the ground and sun in the sky!
Duration:5 hours
Difficulty: I would consider this is be a moderately difficult/ strenuous hike. The hike from the lower trailhead is 6.2 miles round trip, with a 3300 ft elevation gain.
Usefull links: www.mountaineers.org
Full Report:
Panorama Point is an awesome day to trip to do from the Paradise parking lot in Mt. Rainier National Park. You can either use touring ski's, a split board, snowshoes, or hiking boots depending on the season. We did this trip in March and there was plenty of snow on the ground, so we chose skis. It’s an easy tour through the snow north from the parking lot. There will most likely be lots of tracks already heading that way. We had blue skies and pretty perfect weather for this trip. And if you can go on a weekday, I'd advise it because you won’t have to deal as with many other people there. If the weather is nice, like it was for us, you will get some stunning views of Mt. Rainier while you are on your way up.
The tour to the base of Panorama Point had a moderate incline but once you are at the base you should be ready for a steep climb. I even had to take my skis off and just boot pack it because the switchback thing just wasn't working for me. Once we got to the top the view was absolutely stunning! You could see the entire Tatoosh Range, as well as Camp Muir where people stay on their way to summit Mt. Rainier. If you wanted to make a longer day of it, you could easily skin to Camp Muir and ski all the way back to the parking. Anyway, we ate lunch, hung out, and then headed back. Our ski down from Panorama Point was awesome but a tad bit steep at first. It was sure a lot of fun. I was able to ski all the way back to the parking lot from the top. All in all, this an awesome touring day on ski's and the top stretch would not be recommended for beginners. Though in the summer I hear you can just hike up there. I would recommend this trip to anyone!
Full Report:
Panorama Point is an awesome day to trip to do from the Paradise parking lot in Mt. Rainier National Park. You can either use touring ski's, a split board, snowshoes, or hiking boots depending on the season. We did this trip in March and there was plenty of snow on the ground, so we chose skis. It’s an easy tour through the snow north from the parking lot. There will most likely be lots of tracks already heading that way. We had blue skies and pretty perfect weather for this trip. And if you can go on a weekday, I'd advise it because you won’t have to deal as with many other people there. If the weather is nice, like it was for us, you will get some stunning views of Mt. Rainier while you are on your way up.
The tour to the base of Panorama Point had a moderate incline but once you are at the base you should be ready for a steep climb. I even had to take my skis off and just boot pack it because the switchback thing just wasn't working for me. Once we got to the top the view was absolutely stunning! You could see the entire Tatoosh Range, as well as Camp Muir where people stay on their way to summit Mt. Rainier. If you wanted to make a longer day of it, you could easily skin to Camp Muir and ski all the way back to the parking. Anyway, we ate lunch, hung out, and then headed back. Our ski down from Panorama Point was awesome but a tad bit steep at first. It was sure a lot of fun. I was able to ski all the way back to the parking lot from the top. All in all, this an awesome touring day on ski's and the top stretch would not be recommended for beginners. Though in the summer I hear you can just hike up there. I would recommend this trip to anyone!