Narada Falls to Paradise

For our third hike on Mt. Rainier, we returned to the south side of the mountain and walked from Narada Falls to Paradise.  I knew it was going to be a great day when we were greeted by these brilliant paintbrush framed by lush, green foliage.

The first third of the hike follows Paradise River as it tumbles down the mountain.

Although much of the trail goes through heavy forest, the occasional meadows were covered in Avalanche Lilies.

This was the first time we actually saw Mt. Rainier in our three weeks of hiking on the mountain, and, luckily, the trail led directly to the mountain.

Since the Narada Falls to Paradise trail is relatively short, we decided to make a loop of it and cut over to Reflection Lake and go back down the Wonderland Trail to Narada Falls.  What I didn’t account for was a fairly high ridge between the two trails. We ended up walking five and a half miles with more elevation gain, and loss, than we’ve had so far this year.

The view from the bottom of Narada Falls almost made up for the extra mileage, 

but my knees said otherwise as we climbed up the steep trail leading to the parking area.  Worst of all, I made the mistake of stopping too long to take pictures of the falls, and my heart didn’t want to pick up the pace as I started back up the trail (time to ask my cardiologist if I really need the metoprolol).  

One thought on “Narada Falls to Paradise”

  1. Such a beautiful hike. I’m sorry your knees didn’t quite cooperate at the end, but I am so grateful that you made this journey. That rainbow at the falls is perfect. Love this hike.

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