Vanilla leaf flowers. Public domain photograph by National Parks Administration, nature conservation, tourism, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
The cliffs of columnar, volcanic rock known as The Palisades tower over beautiful subalpine meadows to the west of the Palisades Lakes Trail.
This commonly-seen species of flat-backed millipede (Harpaphe haydeniana) is about 1.5 to 2 inches long, and feeds on plants, including rotting vegetation.
Submerged logs seen clearly through the green water of Green Lake.
In order to access the Green Lake trail, a bicyclist rides on the Carbon River Road (hiking and biking only).
A moss-lined stream tumbles down the hillsides along the trail to Spray Falls.
A bee on a Cascade aster beside the Burroughs Mountain trail.
Chinook Creek plunges into a pool over Stafford Falls.
Carter Falls on the Paradise River
Stained with iron and other minerals, a spring bubbles next to Trail of the Shadows.
Shriner Peak fire lookout Public domain photograph by National Parks Administration, nature conservation, tourism, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Mushrooms and other fungi sprout from decaying wood, assisting the decomposition process. The Ohanapecosh River canyon's old-growth forest is an amazingly rich ecosystem, home to an incredible variety of plants More
A mostly chewed tree is sign of past beaver activity.
A hand with red thimbleberries on top of each finger and thumb.
Hikers on the trail leading to the Sunrise area with parking lot and Day lodge in the background.
Signs at the junction of the Pacific Crest Trail and the Naches Peak loop trail. Signs include "No Pets" and "No Horses".
The Puyallup Glacier and Sunset Amphitheater seen through an opening in the trees.
Delicate in appearance, avalanche lilies thrive in harsh subalpine environments, and are among the first to bloom as winter snows melt away.
Picryl description: Public domain image of a park, trees, outdoors, free to use, no copyright restrictions.
Chenuis Falls cascades into a pool. Public domain photograph of wilderness, tourism, National Parks, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
View of Mount Rainier from the end of the maintained Eagle Peak trail.
Diverse numbers of wildflowers blooming include paintbrush, yarrow, Oregon sunshine, penstemon, and in the bottom left, tiger lily. Photo taken July 18, 2016 along Ipsut Pass.
Tokaloo Rock as seen from the end of North Puyallup trail.
A douglas-fir along the Green Lake trail. A person stands beside it for scale.
Hikers use the Pacific Crest Trail, which crosses over SR 410 at Chinook Pass via a historic stone and log footbridge.
Coltsfoot blooms at the base of a dead tree.
A wall of columnar andesite along the North Puyallup trail.
Public domain photograph by National Parks Administration, nature conservation, tourism, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Visitors follow the trail up to a bridge with devil's club and skunk cabbage alongside.
Graceful foamflowers grow in the undergrowth of the old-growth forest.
At the southern end of Naches Peak loop trail, a viewpoint offers vistas southward.
Hiker crosses Carbon River on a log bridge.
When hungry and looking for food, a bear might turn over boulders, leaving behind signs of their presence.
An unnamed trailside pond lies at the eastern foot of Gobblers Knob.
The Shriner Peak trailhead sign informs hikers of what's ahead. Public domain scan of a map, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Gobblers Knob provides a spectacular vista of Mount Rainier’s west side, as well as the drainages of the South Puyallup River (left) and Tahoma Creek (right).
Hiker stands beside massive centuries-old Douglas fir trees grow in the canyon bottom along the Eastside Trail.
western columbine Public domain photograph of a wildflower close up, nature, flowers, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Stone wall of North Puyallup River bridge at end of North Puyallup trail.
Upper Palisades Lake lies tucked in a bowl near the northern end of its namesake ridge.
The lower section of the Shriner Peak Trail traverses old burn scars which provide southward views of the canyons of Panther Creek and the Ohanapecosh River.
Lupine flowers provide late-season color in subalpine meadows next to Eunice Lake, along the Tolmie Peak Trail.
A patch of yellow slime mold spreads over organic debris on the forest floor.
Yellow wood violets bloom on the shaded forest floor in the Ohanapecosh area.
A harvestman (also known as daddy longlegs) perches on a baneberry plant. The leaves, stems, and red berries of baneberry are highly poisonous.
The Mazamas, a mountaineering education organization out of Portland, Oregon, seemed to particularly enjoy the glacier ice caves of Paradise Glacier (Mount Rainier National Park, Washington).
A 30 foot tall boulder from Eagle Peak sits in the Paradise River.
A stone wall along the mossy roadbed of closed Westside Road. A boulder sits in the road.
As viewed from the trail's footbridge, the Ohanapecosh River flows through a moss-lined gorge below Silver Falls.
Droplets of water collect in lupine leaves, forming countless "diamonds" in the park's meadows, along the Tolmie Peak trail.
Moss-draped vine maple highlighted by sunlight.
Sometime during the winter of 2011-2012, a powerful avalanche cascaded over Comet Falls and filled the gorge below with large amounts of snow and debris. Many trees along the trail below the falls were toppled More
A beaver pond provides an aquatic habitat for wildlife in Longmire Meadow. Beavers return every few years to rebuild their dam and dens. Often, a family of Canada geese is seen spending time around the meadow.
Visitors walk along boardwalk through a marshy area in Longmire Meadow.
View from the Green Lake trail looking up at a nurse log covered with young trees.
Thimbleberries ripen along the North Puyallup trail.
Skunk cabbage, coltsfoot, wood sorrel, and a myriad of other forest plants grow beneath the taller trees along the Twin Firs Trail.
A section of a historic cable-wrapped cedar water pipe for a former powerplant along the trail to Carter Falls.
A hiker ascends the forested trail from Lake George to Gobblers Knob.
Madcap Falls along the Paradise River.
Hikers scramble up the last few feet of the Eagle Peak Trail.
From a five-way trail junction adjacent to Frozen Lake, hikers follow the route to Burroughs Mountain as it ascends across fragile slopes.
At the Eagle Cliff Viewpoint, hikers enjoy broad vistas of the North Mowich River valley, the North Mowich Glacier, and the rocky ridges radiating from Mount Rainier's towering northwestern face.
A park ranger leads an interpretive walk through old-growth forest on the trail to the Grove of the Patriarchs.
Hikers starting up the trail to Carter Falls from the trailhead and sign.
Hiker on the trail stops to take photographs of subalpine flowers.
Public domain photograph - park, sign, monument, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
A product of an eruption of Mount Rainier, a layer of 2,200-year-old pumice blankets the surface of Burroughs Mountain's tundra plateau. Hardy yet delicate plants survive on this gravelly plain.
Nicole Collier at Mount Rainier National Park, Washington.
A visitor walks on a boardwalk through old-growth forest. Public domain photograph of timber industry, lumber, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
A historic photo of an early bus tour stopping in front of the Paradise Inn.
A hikers goes up the Comet Falls trail switchbacks.
Hikers crossing a bridge over a stream on the first section of the Spray Falls trail.
White mountain heather along Eagle Peak trail. Public domain scan of drawing, botanical illustration, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Rock cairns are often seen marking the Chenuis Falls Trail as it crosses the rocky floodplain of the Carbon River.
Hikers enjoy a stroll around the clear waters of scenic Tipsoo Lake.
Comet Falls trail first crossing over Van Trump Creek.
Nisqually River and Mount Rainier from the trail to Carter Falls.
A hiker heads up the east side of the Silver Falls loop trail, near the Laughingwater Creek bridge.
A hiker sits by a tree enjoying the first view of Comet Falls.
People walk across a footbridge over the Nisqually River on their way up to Carter Falls.
The Pinnacle Peak trail goes along a cliff with a view of Mount Rainier.
View of Gobblers Knob (center) and Mount Wow (left) from Klapatche Point.