Here is the latest update on wildflowers at Mount Rainier National Park:

“It seems that the peak in Paradise and the late season blooms are happening about the same time.” Said Lou Whiteaker, the park’s plant ecologist.

Great area of the week: Paradise – Nisqually Vista trail

“It is amazing how much the wildflowers have popped this last week,” said Tara Callaway, interpretive park ranger. “Everywhere you hike here, there are tons of lupines, paintbrush, bistort, asters, and louseworts.

“However, I am saddened to say that the end of summer may be near because the first bog gentian was spotted …

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Here is the latest wildflower update from Tara Callaway, interpretive ranger at Mount Rainier National Park.

Great area of the week: Berkeley Park (Sunrise)

I have heard that Sunrise is doing extremely well, and Berkeley Park continuing into Grand Park has fantastic blooms. The Sunrise area is at or near its peak, so visitors should be sent there first for the wildflower viewing.

If you visit Paradise, there is still snow on the upper Skyline trail past Panorama Point going toward Sluiskin Falls. On the lower trails at Paradise, you can find great patches of magenta paintbrush, bracted lousewort, sitka …

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Here is the latest wildflower update, put together by Tara Callaway, an
interpretive ranger at Mount Rainier National Park.

Also, in Sunday’s Adventure section – on the back of the SoundLife section – we’ll offer some tips on wildflower hikes people can take at the park.

“Wow! The trails have melted extremely fast in the subalpine this last week. If you visit Sunrise or Paradise, there are many early blooming wildflowers on the higher elevation trails that have just melted out like the pasqueflower, avalanche lilies and glacier lilies. You can also view mid-season bloomers like bracted lousewart, speedwells …

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While areas around Paradise still have large patches of snow along and on the trails, it seems wildflowers at Sunrise and Mowich Lake are starting to bloom.

That’s the report from Lou Whiteaker, plant ecologist at Mount Rainier National Park. He said it will still be another week or two before the flowers really begin to bloom.

He passed along this report, compiled by another staffer at the park:

Great area of the week: The Mowich area has fields of avalanche lilies blooming in Spray Park. Around Mowich lake, there are great patches of Jeffrey’s shooting stars.

The Sunrise area …

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With the snowpack at Paradise quickly melting, folks are going to want to head there to see the wildflowers.

But as the snow melts, it tends to run down the trails, creating a muddy track. That combined with spots where snow still covers the trails is creates a problem because some hikers opt to walk alongside the trail on the fragile vegetation.

This already is a problem at Sunrise, said Julia Pinnix, the lead ranger for that part of Mount Rainier National Park.

The area already has fields of glacier lily and pasqueflower blooms, with other flowers on the way. …

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