Top 5 Sunset Spots in Mount Rainier National Park
A park renowned for its breathtaking landscapes, expansive views, waterfalls, and wildflowers, Mount Rainier National Park attracts day visitors, campers, and backpackers alike. Many people come to enjoy the park’s incredible mountain scenery, whether while auto touring, cycling, or hiking.
One of the biggest drawcards of Mount Rainier is its magnificent panoramic views, which can be seen from roadside overlooks, hiking trails, and historic fire lookouts.
With numerous amazing views scattered throughout the park, there are also plentiful options to find great sunset spots in Mount Rainier National Park.
As busy as the park can be during the day, even the most popular areas like Paradise and Sunrise get much quieter at dusk. When most day visitors and campers have retreated to their respective sleeping locations, people who stick around are (potentially) treated with a glorious sunset.
I do highly recommend extending your day in the park to include a sunset. If it’s not overcast—which most summer and some fall days aren’t—there are some pretty epic Mount Rainier sunsets waiting for you.
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Best Places to Enjoy the Sunset in Mount Rainier National Park
It’s a fortunate fact that many of the best sunset locations in Mount Rainier National Park are also easily accessible.
Some are literally on the roadside. Others, however, might require a bit of hiking, which, of course, means that those places are typically much less crowded.
Below, you’ll find my personal favorite places to see the sunset at Mount Rainier, followed by a map showing their respective locations in the national park.
5. Sunrise Point
Area: Sunrise
At the last switchback before the final stretch toward Sunrise, Mount Rainier’s highest area that’s accessible by vehicle, Sunrise Point provides glorious views in all directions.
Despite its name, this is easily one of the best places to see the sunset at Mount Rainier.
Sunrise Lake shimmers in the evening sunlight to the north, while the jagged peaks of the Cascade Range sweep to the east.
When you look to the southwest, the enormous northeast flank of Mount Rainier blocks everything else, even the sun setting behind it, completing a phenomenal panorama typical of the Pacific Northwest.
There’s a large parking lot at this hairpin bend in the road, offering a stunning view of this magnificent mountain. It’s the grandest possible entrance to the beautiful Sunrise area and it’s particularly amazing near sunset.
4. Chinook Pass
Area: Tipsoo Lake / Chinook Pass
Tipsoo Lake is one of my favorite places in Mount Rainier National Park. I think it’s absolutely stunning, a scenic view that’s got to be among the best in the Pacific Northwest.
This small and almost-impossibly beautiful subalpine lake lies just below the top of beautiful Chinook Pass, in the eastern part of the park.
This is a fantastic place to enjoy the abundantly colorful wildflowers in Mount Rainier National Park in summer. In July and August, the meadows and slopes around the lake are covered in flowers like lupines, asters, Indian paintbrush, and dozens of others.
In fall, on the other hand, abundant huckleberries paint the landscape in beautiful reds and purples, which is arguably when this area is at its most spectacular.
The sunset view from Chinook Pass is unquestionably among the greatest in the entire national park. And because it faces west, toward Mount Rainier, which rises up behind Tipsoo Lake, it’s an excellent place to enjoy a memorable Mount Rainier sunset.
3. Panorama Point (Skyline Trail)
Area: Paradise
Located at one of the highest points on the Skyline Trail at Paradise, Panorama Point provides phenomenal views of the Tatoosh Range and greater Cascade Range.
I don’t recommend arriving at Panorama Point precisely at sunset, though, which would require a rather long hike back during twilight or in complete darkness. Make sure to give yourself plenty of time to safely get back to the trailhead.
What I do recommend is starting this epic 5.5-mile day hike about three hours before sunset, taking full advantage of the sensational sunset scenery basically the entire way.
(Be prepared, though, and make sure to bring extra clothes, water, and a flashlight with full battery, just in case you’re slower than you anticipated. Also important: tell someone you’re doing this hike in the evening.)
Descending the Skyline Trail during golden hour is potentially magical, as the sun casts long shadows across the subalpine meadows and slopes, painting Mount Rainier itself in beautiful pinks and purples.
The view from Panorama Point takes in prominent Pacific Northwest mountains, such as Mount Adams, Mount St. Helens, and even Mt. Hood far in the distance. Right behind you, the massive dome of Mount Rainier towers above.
2. Sourdough Ridge
Area: Sunrise
Running just above the popular Sunrise area, Sourdough Ridge offers jaw-dropping views of Mount Rainier and the surrounding mountains.
It’s one of my favorite sunset hikes in Mount Rainier National Park, both for its amazing subalpine summer wildflowers and up-close views of the mighty mountain itself.
The Sourdough Ridge Trail first crosses the wildflower meadows of Yakima Park and then climbs gently eastward to Dege Peak.
It’s a moderate hike—experienced hikers will say it’s easy—that offers awesome views of Mount Rainier almost the entire way.
Toward the end, you’ll see other iconic Cascade mountains in the distance, including Mount Baker, Mount Adams, and Glacier Peak.
As crazy busy as it is during the day, the area is surprisingly quiet and peaceful at sunset. The fact there’s no accommodation at Sunrise certainly has something to do with that.
Additionally, dusk is also when the wild animals come out and sightings of Columbia black-tailed deer, Cascade red foxes, and even black bears aren’t unusual.
1. Reflection Lakes
Area: Paradise
About 3 miles southeast of Paradise on the Stevens Canyon Road, the Reflection Lakes offer the chance to—as their name suggest—see the reflection of Mount Rainier in the water.
For this to happen, though, it needs to be a clear day with calm weather. Dawn and dusk in summer and early-fall are the best times to see reflection views of Mount Rainier at this beautiful location.
You can simply park at one of the parking lots along the road and walk down to the water’s edge for gorgeous photo ops.
I’ve enjoyed a Mount Rainier sunset at Reflection Lakes several times, both in summer and fall, and I’ve never been disappointed. Especially if you’re lucky enough that the weather is calm, the sunset reflection of the mountain in the water is glorious.
Even though it’s a pretty popular place in the park, I’ve always found it to still be quite tranquil and serene here.
When the conditions are right, this is, in my opinion, the most beautiful place to watch the sunset in Mount Rainier National Park.
More About Mount Rainier National Park
- Park Website
- Travel Guide
- Topographic Map
- Best Mount Rainier Hikes
- Top Things To Do in Mount Rainier National Park
- What to Do at Paradise (Mount Rainier)
- Best Places to See Fall Colors at Mount Rainier
- Best Views of Mount Rainier
- Guide to the Mount Rainier Wildflowers
- Accommodation
Map of the Best Mount Rainier Sunset Locations
Please refer to this map of the best sunset viewing areas in Mount Rainier National Park for a visual overview of their exact locations.
Other Amazing Mount Rainier Sunset Spots
In addition to the sunset viewing locations in Mount Rainier National Park above, a few others also offer some excellent views during “golden hour” and dusk.
- Ricksecker Point (overlook about halfway between Longmire and Paradise)
- Mount Fremont Lookout (popular 5.6-mile roundtrip hike to a fire lookout at Sunrise)
- Tolmie Peak Lookout (remote 6.5-mile roundtrip hike to a fire lookout at Mowich Lake)
