Skyline Trail is hands down my favorite hike at Mt Rainier National Park. It is definitely one of the harder hikes, gaining 1700 feet elevation and taking 5.5 miles to complete the loop. Don’t let this deter you, the amazing views are worth every step. Be sure to pack plenty of water and snacks, and pace yourself, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
Start at the Jackson Visitors Center in Paradise
The trail starts off at the steps engraved with the famous John Muir quote. The paved trail immediately starts gaining elevation. Once the pavement ends you’ll have the choice to follow the left or right trail. We opted for the left side, which continues to make its way up the mountain. When you stop for breaks be sure to look behind you and admire the Tatoosh mountain range.
Take a Break at Glacier Vista on the Skyline Trail
Glacier Vista is the perfect spot to stop to take some pictures, eat a snack or two, and take in the views of Mt Rainier and the Nisqually Glacier. From here continue on the skyline trail for another .75 of a mile until you reach Panorama Point.
Soak in the 360 Views at Panorama Point
The views at Panorama Point are absolutely breathtaking, so be sure to take your time soaking in the views here. Just a short walk up you will find a pit toilet that is open in the summers. If you don’t want to continue the skyline loop, you can turn back here and retrace your steps back to the visitors center. This will save you about a mile and a half, bringing the mileage for this hike to 4 miles. If you’re up for it you can detour and head to the dead horse trail on your way back.
Continue on Skyline Loop
The uphill climb doesn’t stop here, once you finish taking in the views at Panorama Point, continue hiking up until you see a sign saying pebble creek trail, keep to the right and you’ll start your downhill journey along a rocky path at first. The trail continues on until you reach a point where you can take the golden gate trail back to the visitors center (this route saves you about a mile) or opt to stay on the Skyline Trail. We didn’t realize the golden gate trail was a short cut at the time (or we probably would’ve taken it) so we continued on the skyline loop trail.
While I was definitely exhausted by the time I finished this hike, the end of the skyline loop still offered some incredible views so I wasn’t disappointed that we continued on!
Myrtle Falls
Once you reach Myrtle Falls, there’s only about half a mile left until you reach the visitors center. If you haven’t already seen this waterfall I definitely recommend taking the short walk down to see it.
Weather on the Skyline Trail
One thing to keep in mind is that this trail has very little to no shade. I would recommend wearing sunscreen, bringing a hat, and packing a lot of water. In summer months consider starting the hike early in the morning to avoid the hottest part of the day. We hiked this trail in September so the heat wasn’t an issue, though I did still get some sunburn because I forgot to apply sunscreen.
In mid September it was quite chilly, especially as we neared the top of the summit. If you’re planning on hiking this trail towards the beginning or ending of summer, I would definitely make sure to pack a few layers.
Mt Rainier does experience its fair share of foggy/rainy days, and I wouldn’t recommend doing this hike if it’s foggy. Skyline Loop is all about the gorgeous views, and on a foggy you won’t get to experience many of them.
Skyline Trail on a Foggy Day
We thought the fog was lifting, so we laced on our boots and headed up the skyline trail. We started with some great views of the Tatoosh mountain range, but it quickly became obvious we weren’t going to get any views of Mount Rainier the higher we climbed. Our plan was to turn back once we didn’t feel comfortable climbing up anymore. However, when we were about halfway to Panorama Point, we met two girls who asked if we were doing the skyline trail, so we could do it together. Four people felt safer than two so we continued on. We got to enjoyed the company of our new friends and a learn a little about them, even though we didn’t see the views we hoped for. As we descended the mountain the visibility improved slightly, but nothing compared to the views on a clear day.
Would I hike this trail in the fog again? I definitely wouldn’t. However, when we hiked to panorama point later that week, it made the views even more special.
If your heading to Mt Rainier, I definitely recommend adding the Skyline Trail to your list of hikes. Be sure to pack your hiking poles, a few layers, snacks, and lots of water.
If you find yourself in Mt Rainier on a foggy day, I wouldn’t suggest this hike. However there are still plenty of things to do on foggy days. Check out my blog post for activities that are perfect for foggy days.
