Great Hikes for Kids: Mount Rainier (Tahoma), Washington

Sunrise Rim 

• Easy

• 5 mile loop

• Elevation gain: 840 feet

• 3 hours

If you can’t get enough glacier-gazing, this is your hike! The Sunrise Rim trail offers phenomenal views with an easy hike leading up to the first bump of Burroughs Mountain for a spectacular view of Mount Rainier (Tahoma) and the necklace of glaciers that adorn her. Along the way you’ll also pass Sunrise Camp, a small backcountry camp that makes an excellent base for hikes, and Shadow Lake. Because the hike is at a high elevation, snow may cover the trail well into July. Always check road and trail conditions before leaving. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/sunrise-rim-trail?u=m

Sourdough Ridge Trail 

• Easy

• 2.5 mile round trip out and back

• Elevation gain: 400 feet

• 1 hour

This undemanding trail is short and satisfying, or you can continue on with many options. The start is a bit north from the Sunrise Visitor Center up a wide set of stairs and into the green valley of Yakima Park. The trail offers striking views as you make your way across the ridge to a 5-way intersection with multiple options for continued hiking if desired: to Dege (pronounced Deh-gay) Peak,  Forest Lake, Berkeley Park, or Burroughs Mountain, or turn around and return to the parking lot. https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/sourdough-ridge

Grove of the Patriarchs 

• Easy

• 1.5 miles round trip out and back

• Elevation gain: 50 feet

• 1 hour

This is an unforgettable hike for tree aficionados - there are trees here over a thousand years old. The gentle trail follows the Ohanapecosh River then crosses it by a beautiful suspension bridge to an island where the trees tower above you and reign over the sky. There are excellent interpretive signs along the boardwalk on the rich complexity of an old growth forest. Don’t miss this one! https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/grove-of-the-patriarchs