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Discover Wildflowers

Penstemon wildflowers growing along the road to Sunrise. NPS Photo   Mount Rainer's renowned wildflowers bloom for a limited amount of time every year. The "peak" bloom for wildflowers is heavily dependent on weather and precipitation patterns, so accurate predictions are difficult. In most years, many flowers will be blooming by mid-July, and by the first of August the meadows should be very impressive. Frost can occur by late August, but even after light frosts the meadows continue to be very beautiful, thanks to changing leaf colors and seed pod development that take the place of colorful blossoms. For a better idea of what the wildflowers are doing this year, please see the Currently Blooming section below, which summarizes what's blooming where. Explore further: Wildflower Guide - Unfamiliar with Mount Rainier's wildflowers? Photos and brief descriptions of some of the common wildflower species can be found in the park's online wildflower guide. Subalpine and Forest wildflower photo galleries Wildflower video gallery - Preview Mount Rainier's blooming wildflower meadows by watching these short clips. The Seasons of Mount Rainier - View short clips of different plants found in various parts of the park. Ecological Restoration - Watch short videos about the Ecological Restoration program's work in the park.
Rosy Spirea in Stevens Canyon, 6/20/18. NPS Photo Currently Blooming Many wildflowers are blooming along park roadsides, particularly along Stevens Canyon Road. The western half of the road near Reflection Lakes is dominated by avalanche lilies and rosy spirea. On the lower elevation eastern half of the road near Box Canyon, look for yellow monkeyflower and columbine, among others. Meanwhile, subalpine meadows still have significant patches of snow cover. Please Note: As snow melts away, it may be tempting to skirt remaining patches of snow that are covering trails. However, by going off trail you are walking on and damaging the wildflowers that you may be coming to see! It is better to stay on trail even if that means crossing snow, particularly in the high-visitation meadows around Paradise and Sunrise. Wildflower Reports Stevens Canyon Road, from east to west (6/20) - vanilla leaf, wild strawberry, paintbrush, columbine, Queen's cup, goatsbeard, lupine, yellow monkeyflower, Oregon sunshine, arnica, thimbleberry, bear grass, salmonberry, star-flowered Solomon's seal, cliff penstemon, rock penstemon, Sitka mountain ash, Sitka valerian, avalanche lilies, tall bluebells, rosy spirea, cow parsnip, subalpine daisy, phlox, partridgefoot, Jeffrey's shooting star SR123 (6/20) - tiger lily, thimbleberry, vanilla leaf, columbinem goatsbeard, paintbrush, lupine, alumroot, trillium, avalanche lilies, Sitka mountain ash SR410 (6/20) - bear grass, lupine, wild strawberry White River Road (6/20) - vanilla leaf, wild strawberry, Sitka mountain ash Longmire (6/14) - foam flower, devil's club, leafy mitrewort, cow parsnip, candy flower, piggyback plant, wild strawberry, big-leaved avens Westside Road (6/7) - salmonberry, thimbleberry, candy flower, Scouler's corydalis, false Solomon's seal, star-flowered Solomon's seal, tall bluebells, yellow violet, vine maple, harsh paintbrush, blue-eyed Mary, fringecup, sandwort, coltsfoot seedheads, wild strawberry, three-leaved anemone, cow parsnip, foam flower, Sitka mountain ash (early) Nisqually Entrance to Longmire Road (6/7) - wild strawberry, cow parsnip, columbine, foam flower, coltsfoot seedheads, bunchberry, big-leaved avens, three-leaved anemone, thimbleberry, piggyback plant, lupine
Mountain Bog Gentian NPS Photo Wildflower Photos The photos featured here are usually taken by park staff and volunteers from all over the park. Share your own wildflower photos in the Mount Rainier Flickr group! Higher resolution versions of wildflower photos are available on Mount Rainier's Flickr page. Plan Your Visit Paradise and Sunrise are two of the main visitor center areas at Mount Rainier National Park. Both areas are well known for their impressive wildflower meadows. The park also maintains dozens of trails perfect for wildflower viewing.