Summer Wildflowers in Paradise

As far back as I can remember, I have loved hiking and backpacking, and what I love about it most is wildflowers – even as a child I scoured the fields around our house looking for a little beauty to press or draw. In college I studied botany, which only fueled that fire and gave me a great excuse for following the early spring bloom on the coast all the way up to the high country for some spectacular summer shows.

A few summers back, Paul and I found ourselves in Washington with some time on our hands. After a quick stop at Mt. Saint Helens we headed straight for Mt. Rainier. Not knowing anything about the Park we got a map and headed straight for a place called Paradise. When we arrived, we could hardly park fast enough because what awaited us was the most spectacular display of mountain wildflowers I have ever witnessed.

The subalpine meadows at the base of the mountain are brimming with blooms of white, yellow, red, and purple. I counted over 20 species on our visit and was particularly taken with the delicate Avalanche Lily, showy Bear Grass, and bright red paintbrush. Just when you think you’ve picked a favorite, you turn a corner and are charmed by another.

We ended up spending several days exploring the area. We stayed at the charming Paradise Inn (not an easy task without reservations), which enabled us to spend some magical evenings and early mornings out in the meadows. If you ever have the occasion to visit Paradise in the Summer – I highly recommend a trip to the Mountain – you won’t soon forget it.

For a bigger view of the above photo, click here.

– Lisa Z