How to Hike the Incredible Skyline Trail at Mt. Rainier

When we think about our favorite hikes we’ve ever done, a few trails immediately spring to mind. One of those trails is the Skyline Trail in Mount Rainier National Park, which we’ve now hiked multiple times spanning across different years. It is, without a doubt, at the top of our list of the best hikes in Mount Rainier National Park.

When we get back to the car after doing this hike, we’re flabbergasted at how spectacular it is. Every. Single. Time. It never gets old. 

What exactly is spectacular about it? Lush meadows filled with blankets of wildflowers, incredible views of Rainier where you’re so close to the face of the Mountain it almost feels like you can reach out and touch it, and sweeping panoramic views of the surrounding landscape, including Mount Adams, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Hood (on a clear day). 

We’ve tackled this trail a few times now, including in late July when there was a thick blanket of snow on the eastern half of the loop, and in mid-August, when 95% of the snow was gone. Crucially, we’ve also done it in both directions – clockwise and counterclockwise – which means we can help you understand the pros and cons of hiking it in either direction. 

In this guide, we’re going to give you all the details you need to be prepared to hike the Skyline Trail in Mount Rainier National Park. We’ll go through parking, what route to take, which direction to go, and a play-by-play trail guide that is all based on our own personal experience. 

By the end of this guide, we think you’ll be prepared to hike the incredible Skyline Loop Trail (spoiler alert: we definitely think you should do the loop!) in Mount Rainier National Park, and be ready to hit the trail confidently and safely. 

Skyline Trail Details (Loop)

• Length: 5.5 miles
• Elevation Gain: 1,700 feet
• Season: Mid-July – September/October
• Trail Type: Loop
• Difficulty: Moderate / Hard
• Trailhead Location
• Dog Friendly: No – NO DOGS ALLOWED
• Pass Required: America the Beautiful Interagency Pass or $30 entrance fee

Important for 2024: To deal with the ever-increasing crowds visiting Rainier each year, the park has instituted a timed entry permit for visitors to the Paradise and Sunrise corridors in 2024. For more information, head to the NPS website (linked above).

Here’s a trail map, courtesy of the National Park Service. 

Is This an Easy Hike?

As you can see from those trail statistics, THIS IS NOT AN EASY HIKE. 

We’ve seen countless people underestimate this hike and try to do it without food, water, or in wild outfits.

You need to be prepared for a tough hike with a lot of climbing with limited shade. That means proper footwear (please no sandals), plenty of food and water, and sun protection. 

Clockwise vs. Counter Clockwise: Which Direction is Best?

Which direction should you hike in if you’re doing the loop? Well, it kind of depends. 

In putting together an outline for this guide, we realized that there’s no “right” direction to do this hike in. However, there are certainly pros and cons of doing it in either direction. 

We’ve done it in both directions, so we have personal experience to speak from here.

We’re putting aside the trail conditions issue here – if the entire eastern half of the trail is snow-covered, this question kind of becomes moot because you’ll probably be doing the out-and-back instead. 

Looking for a quick summary? Basically, if you can get an early start, go clockwise where you’ll have the view of Rainier straight ahead throughout the steeper climb. If you’re getting a later start, go counterclockwise so that you’ll have three miles of relative solitude on the eastern half before making your descent on the busiest part of the trail. 

Hiking Clockwise

On our most recent trip up to Rainier, we did the loop clockwise, which we actually really enjoyed.

It’s a steeper hike – covering the elevation gain in roughly two miles rather than three – but you hardly notice the gain as you’re meandering through Paradise’s lush meadows full of multicolored wildflowers in the summer. 

If you’re getting an early start, go clockwise so you can get up to Panorama Point and the other viewpoints as fast as possible in order to have them mostly to yourself. 

Pros of Hiking Clockwise: 

• Unbeatable Views. While it’s a steeper climb, it’s nice to have the view of Rainier’s face right there in front of you as you’re climbing (if you go the other way, it’s hidden for most of the climbing). 
  
  
• Faster Ascent. You’ll get up to Panorama Point faster if you go clockwise because it’s a shorter – but steeper – climb.

Cons of Hiking Clockwise: 

• It’s a Tough Climb. You’re covering the same amount of elevation gain over two miles (ish) rather than three.
  
  
• Tons of People on the Ascent. If you start this hike after about 10:00am, the western half of the loop (the part where you’re heading uphill) is going to be a zoo. Personally, we’d much rather do the descent dodging other hikers rather than trying to navigate a crowded trail on the way up. 

Hiking Counter Clockwise

We’ve also done this hike counter clockwise, and enjoyed the relative solitude that comes on the eastern half of the loop.

It’s a longer, more gradual ascent, which we think is a little bit easier, but the descent down the highly trafficked western side of the loop kind of sucks because it’s a lot of steep stairs that are hard on the knees, and there’s a TON of people.

If you’re getting a relatively late start – after about 9:00am or so – we’d go counterclockwise to avoid dodging other hikers on the ascent (we like to put our heads down and just climb). 

Pros of Hiking Counter Clockwise: 

• Solitude on the Uphill. Heading uphill, you’ll be relatively alone (compared to the other half of the trail). 
  
  
• A More Gradual Climb. It’s a longer, more gradual climb in this direction. That’s not to say there aren’t tough parts of the trail, but it is to say that those hard parts are interspersed with flatter portions (versus the other direction, where it’s straight uphill the whole time). 

Cons of Hiking Counter Clockwise: 

• You’ll Be Swimming Upstream. Coming down, because you’re supposed to be yielding to uphill hikers, you’ll be doing a lot of standing off to the side to let other people pass. 
  
  
• A Steep Descent. If you’re prone to sore knees, we’d probably go the other direction. This descent is steep, and it’s a lot of stairs on the way down. 

Parking Lot to Panorama Point

Distance: 1.8 miles // Elevation Gain: 1,800 feet

The first half mile or so of this hike, ironically, is two seemingly contradictory things. It is both a paved trail, and the most difficult part of the ascent. There are some portions of the initial climb that had Alysha and I looking at each other saying things like “I’m not crazy, this is really steep right?”

However, from the jump – and this is one of the reasons we like doing it clockwise – you’ll be hiking right at Rainier, with an excellent view of the Mountain throughout your climb. The lush greenery of Paradise’s meadows, which are full of blooming wildflowers from mid-July on, isn’t half bad either. 

Once the hike leaves the paved portion of the trail at just over a half mile into the climb, you’ll start up a spiny ridge on a well maintained trail.

Absolutely, under no circumstances, should you forget to look over your shoulder and check out the vistas back towards the south, where you’ll find a view that includes Mount Adams, Mount St. Helens, and even Mount Hood on a clear day, along with the rocky Tatoosh Range and Pinnacle Peak closer in. 

At 1.2 miles or so, there’s a nice little flat area with perfect sitting rocks, where we took a break and had a snack and some water with a view. There’s a short detour right there to get a good view of the Nisqually Glacier, which adds a negligible amount of hiking. 

From there, you’ll cover a section that often has snow into August before the trail turns right and starts the final climb to Panorama Point. You’ll turn away from the views of Rainier, and instead turn your attention to the view to the south, which continues to get better and better the further up you climb. 

At 1.8 miles, you’ll reach Panorama Point, where you’ll find a pit toilet (summers only) and what most people consider the best view on the hike. We disagree. 

Panorama Point to the Wooden Footbridge Over the Paradise River

Distance: 1.9 miles // Elevation Change: 250 feet elevation gain & 1,000 feet of elevation loss

Turn around from the view at Panorama Point and face Rainier. See that big rocky outcropping behind you between you and the Mountain?

The best view on the entire trail, at least in our opinion, awaits you at the top of that climb. 

You’ll have a great view to the south – better than Panorama Point – and a truly incredible close up view of Rainier. 

From there, it’s all downhill! Well, except for the short climb right before you get back to the trailhead, but you don’t need to think about that just yet.

From here, you’ll follow the High Skyline Trail as it winds its way down, passing through rocky high alpine terrain (prime mountain goat territory – keep your eyes peeled because we saw a few lounging in the sun).

The sun will be directly in front of you if you’re doing this section around midday, so sunglasses and a re-application of sunscreen will be your friend here. 

You might be wondering why we chose this specific footbridge as a breaking point in our trail report. It’s because above that footbridge, you’re hiking through the high alpine terrain, which is noticeably more rocky and less lush than the lower elevation trail sections. 

Wooden Footbridge to the Trailhead (and Myrtle Falls)

Distance: 1.9 miles // Elevation Change: 200 feet elevation gain & 500 feet of elevation loss

As soon as you cross the river and continue the descent, it gets noticeably more lush, and it feels like a whole new trail. 

This section of trail is defined by a steep descent down a quick set of switchbacks, and then a short, gradual climb back up to the trailhead. Who doesn’t love to hike down just to hike right back up again?

As you make your way towards the parking lot, you’ll cross a footbridge with an excellent view of Rainier, and then Myrtle Falls, which is a great picture with the waterfall in the foreground, and the snow capped peak of Mount Rainier looming in the background.