Spectacular Mt. Rainier beginners' snowshoe hike and lunch near the park

Join us on a short (1-mile round trip), photo-op paced, snowshoe hike though snowy woods and meadows to close-up, spectacular views of Mt. Rainier and the Nisqually Glacier. Afterwards, we can eat lunch at the famous Copper Creek Inn near the park entrance.
The Nisqually Vista snowshoe loop near the Paradise Visitor Center on Mt. Rainier is a beautiful beginners’ snowshoe hike; we’ll see bubbling, partly frozen streams winding their way through pillowy snow drifts, weird gnomes of snow-encased small trees among giant, snow-draped cypress and firs, and, if it's not foggy, the world-famous mountain with its glaciers filling the sky above from far left to far right, up close and personal.
It’s going to be a great day!
We’ll stop often for photos and stop for cookies when we get to the glacier.
It’ll take us about two hours to hike the 1.1-mile round trip on a fairly level out-and-back route. The rangers take visitors there on weekends as a loop hike, but we’ll eliminate the short loop after the glacier to skip the elevation change.

WHERE WILL WE MEET?
We’ll meet in the Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center at Paradise on Mt. Rainier in the Mt. Rainier National Park at 9:00 a.m. Plan on nearly two hours of drive time from Puyallup; it's usually a slow, winding, 25-minute drive on ice and snow from the park entrance to the visitor center.
The snowshoe route starts in the overflow parking lot just downhill from the visitor center, just before you arrive at the center.
If you need snowshoes, you can rent them from Whittaker Mountaineering in Ashford several minutes before the park entrance. You can call them at 800-238-5756 between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. and use a credit card to pay for a one-day snowshoe rental. Their snowshoe rentals come with poles; other winter gear like boots and gloves are also available for rent there.
Other rental places to rent snowshoes are Second Ascent and REI in Seattle, Sturdevant's Ski Shop in Tacoma, and the Longmire General Store on the way up to Paradise. It’s safest to call in advance with a credit card to reserve snowshoes rather than to hope they still have a pair for you when you show up.

WHAT’S REQUIRED TO GET INTO MT. RAINIER NATIONAL PARK?
No car is supposed to enter Mt. Rainier National Park without tire chains in the car or on the tires; and, yes, the ranger at the park entrance will ask you if you have them. Either an all-wheel drive or 4-wheel drive vehicle with tires that have good traction is recommended. The roads usually have snow and ice on them in the winter.
The entry cost is $25. A National Parks Pass will get you in free, but a Northwest or Discover pass won’t help.
If you haven't been snowshoeing before or are wondering what to wear, here's a basic guide to snowshoeing that may help: https://www.wta.org/go-outside/seasonal-hikes/winter-destinations/snowshoeing-101

Carpooling helps since not everyone has a car the does well on ice, and some have yearly passes to national parks. Be sure to compensate your driver for gas and passes. You can post a message if you’re interested in driving or riding.

This event is cross-posted; some snowshoe hikers from Active Connections will be joining us.