Since on our Day1 we couldn't even see the mountain, we checked the weather and decided to try again and postpone the drive to Vancouver to later in the day. And it was worth it!
Clear skies awaited us as we drove to Sunrise Park. Enroute we could always see the snow capped peak.
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| View from highway |
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| View from vista point |
Crystal Mountain Gondola:
We took the gondola to the summit again and were wow-ed by the spectacular view. As soon as you get off the gondola the mountain is right there and you are looking at its expanse.
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| View of the summit and gondola from base |
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| View from summit |
There are a few hikes at the summit, one of the hikes goes along the ridge to the area of radio towers and offers amazing 360* views.
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| View from a small hike along the ridge |
Sunrise Point Lookout: Sweeping views of the Cascade Range to the east, Sunrise Lake to the north, and Mount Rainier to the southwest.
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| Meltwater flow (from Sunrise point) |
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| Mt. Rainier from Sunrise point |
Sunrise: This is the highest point in the park accessible by
car, and the in-your-face view of Mount Rainier is unforgettable. Also
in view is the Emmons Glacier, which is the largest glacier in the 48
contiguous states.
Mt. Fremont Lookout Trail (5.5 miles). This trail starts at Sunrise parking lot and has two routes to reach Frozen Lake - either via the Sourdough ridge or Sunrise Park Rd+Wonderland Trail. At Frozen Lake, Burroughs trails and Mt Fremont Lookout trail start off.
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| Hike Map |
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| Burroughs Mt and Mt Rainier |
The lookout trail extends through meadows and rocky crags for a total elevation gain of 1200 feet. The entire trail from Sunrise to the lookout is through meadowland and over rocky crags. On a clear day hikers can enjoy superb views of Mount Rainier, the Cascades and the Olympic Mountains.
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| Mt. Rainier from Fremont Lookout |
References
http://www.visitrainier.com/pg/hiking/Hiking-in-the-Mt-Rainier-National-Park-Area
http://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/sunrise.htm
http://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/mount-fremont-lookout.htm
Drive to Vancouver
It was a long drive from Mt. Rainier to Vancouver, BC. The wait at the border was about 15-20 minutes. Downtown Vancouver is jammed with buildings and parks.
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| Border crossing checkpost |
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| Enter VC downtown |
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| VC Downtown bridge |
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