Sunrise Visitor Center — Attraction in Washington

Sunrise Nature Trail (1.5 mi/2.4 km) From the upper end of the Sunrise picnic area, follow this self-guided loop tour through subalpine meadows for breathtaking views of Mount Rainier and the Cascades. Emmons Vista Overlooks (1 mi/1.6 km) Located on the south side of Sunrise parking area. For spectacular views of Emmons Glacier follow the Sunrise Rim Trail to the two overlooks. Frozen Lake Loop Trail (3 mi/4.8 km) Follow the Sunrise Nature Trail to the ridgetop, then head west on the Sourdough Ridge Trail. Return to Sunrise via the Wonderland Trail and Old Campground Trail. Silver Forest Trail (2 mi/3.2 km) From the south side of Sunrise parking area, follow the Sunrise Rim Trail to the Silver Forest Trail through an old burned area. The "silvery" color of the charred trees bleached white by the weather give the area its name. Shadow Lake Loop (3 mi/4.8km) From south side of Sunrise parking area, hike the Sunrise Rim Trail to Shadow Lake and see colorful meadows along the way. Return via Old Campground Trail. Mount Fremont Lookout Trail (5.6 mi/9.0 km) Follow Sourdough Ridge Trail to the Mount Fremont Trail. This trail leads to a historic fire lookout with excellent views of Mount Rainier and its glaciers. Burroughs Mountain Trail (First Burroughs: 4.7 mi/7.5 km, Second Burroughs: 7 mi/11.2 km) Access via the Sourdough Ridge Trail. Hike this trail for outstanding mountain views and to visit the most accessible tundra in the Cascade Range. Plants here have a very short growing season. Please stay on the trail. Return via the Sunrise Rim Trail for a...

Enjoyed the trip to Ranier Sunrise Lodge Sun Aug 10 2025 one of the busiest days of the year for Mt Ranier parks (we went to Paradise too). Everything was well maintained and of course we had guests (this time from Italy) and hit the Mtn on a perfect day. 80deg, no wind, and crystal clear at our highest lookout point around 8,000ft.

It is a bit tricky to get in because while they post pre-ticketing in June and it closes quickly for the entire season. They also have open lottery draws the evening before. But nothing seems to prevent locals from using their annual pass and then no-showing their day reservation.

Worse, the park will post the no-entry without reservation times inaccurately. They change the times and fail to ensure they're updated all forms of communication which means most one-time visitors to the park don't know. It's an insider-outsider game a bit.

Typically this means the gate usually opens for no reserve entry at 5pm even though they claim it is 7pm. I think that's poor management. But if you're in the know, you're happy about the crowd reduction.

The rangers and facility personnel should focus more on the “less desirables” of maintaining a tourist destination. Vault toilets should be maintained and cleaned hourly, the doors should operate and be updated etc. No one goes into the field of “protect the natural resources” for that but oh well, no tourists, no need for the role. To that end, government parks employees hit 50% on service. The good friendly joy filled ones should be noted and the others trained...

The name says it all! Within a couple of miles of the end-of-the-road Visitor Center is a 180 degree turn around a narrow observation point. This is THE PLACE to watch a sunrise.

Sunrise at Mount Rainier is a premier location to watch the star appear that gives us life. The beauty of watching an entire sunrise from this location is amazing. Your choices are to stay overnight at the observation point or enter the park well before dawn. If you're not really bundled up, staying overnight at the 6000' altitude will chill some people to the point of shivering. My recommendation; get up early and allow plenty of time.

The sunrise starts with a gradual lightening in the eastern sky. This begins several hours before sunrise. The transition is from the contrast of intensely bright stars to a dimming and lightening of the sky. If you're lucky, there will be high clouds to the east. As the earth spins, with high clouds the sunlight initially illuminates the bottom of the clouds, creating a gorgeous panorama of red, pink, orange and other shades at the top of the visible spectrum. Unless you have specialized lenses and filters, just soak it up and enjoy being in the moment.

There are no surprises here. There's nothing else to do but watch another day on this amazing planet begin. The sun sets the rhythm of all life, and it's here is all of it's majesty for the price...