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. Wildflower photo galleries - Collections of subalpine and forest wildflowers. Wildflower video gallery - Preview Mount Rainier's blooming wildflower meadows by watching these short videos. The Seasons of Mount Rainier - View short videos 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.
A selection of July wildflowers: pink mountain heather (Bench & Snow Lake Trail), spreading phlox (Sunrise), paintbrush (Glacier Basin Trail), and a wildflower meadow (Owyhigh Lakes Trail). NPS Photos Currently Blooming Last Updated: July 26, 2024 Subalpine meadows are approaching “peak bloom” with numerous wildflowers blooming throughout the park. Here is a sample photographed in the last couple weeks of July. Common wildflowers to look for are magenta and scarlet paintbrush, Sitka valerian, subalpine daisy, spreading phlox, and pink mountain heather, and more. NOTE: Always check current trail conditions before heading out! Please stay on the trails. 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 the trail even if that means crossing snow, particularly in the high-visitation meadows around Paradise and Sunrise. Also, there are plenty of opportunities for the perfect mountain + wildflower photo from the trails! No need to step off trail and crush other flowers in your quest for the perfect shot.   Wildflower Reports Paradise Area (7/24) - avalanche lilies, glacier lilies, pink mountain heather, white mountain heather, subalpine daisy, subalpine buttercup, Jeffrey's shooting star, American bistort, Sitka valerian, broadleaf arnica, rosy spirea, scarlet paintbrush, magenta paintbrush, Sitka mountain ash, Cusick's speedwell, partridgefoot, bear grass, fireweed, bracted lousewort. Best trails to enjoy early blooms: Lower sections of the Skyline Trail are looking amazing! You can see bright pink patches of rosy spirea and pink mountain heather and white seas of American bistort, Sitka valerian, gray's lovage, partridgefoot and Sitka mountain ash. Golden Gate Trail looks straight out of the Lorax with pasqueflower seedheads with their close resemblance to Truffula trees that cover the hillside. Sunrise Area (7/24) - pasqueflower seedheads, spreading phlox, fanleaf cinquefoil, Sitka valerian, Gray's lovage, lupine, showy Jacob's ladder, Cusick's speedwell, small-flowered penstemon (few), pink mountain heather, subalpine daisy, magenta paintbrush, scarlet paintbrush, bracted lousewort, tiger lily, cliff penstemon, rosy spirea, Cascade aster, Sitka mountain ash. Best trail to enjoy early blooms: Silver Forest, Sourdough Ridge to Shadow Lake, Berkeley Park. Glacier Basin Trail (7/13) - Jeffrey's shooting stars, thistle, columbine, pearly everlasting, paintbrush, bluebells, pink monkeyflower Bench & Snow Lake Trail (7/13) - avalanche lilies (late), wild rhododendron, Sitka valerian, American bistort, pink mountain heather, lupine, white mountain heather, subalpine daisy, Jeffreys' shooting stars, huckleberry, Nelson's brook saxifrage, leatherleaf saxifrage, yellow monkeyflower, Alaska violet Longmire Area (7/11) - twin flower, smooth alumroot, forest penstemon, tiger lily, salal, lupine, pathfinder, pink wintergreen, little pippsissewa, slender bog orchid, foam flower, miner's lettuce, piggyback plant, selfhear, water parsley Paradise Valley Road (7/10) - avalanche lilies, yellow violets, red elderberry, salmonberry, Sitka valerian, pink mountain heather, lupine Stevens Canyon Road (7/10) - bear grass, cliff penstemon, scarlet paintbrush, magenta paintbrush, lupine, avalanche lily, columbine, goat's beard, Sitka valerian, small-flowered penstemon, rosy spirea, tiger lily, Oregon sunshine
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.     Meadow Preservation Enjoy wildflowers? Stay on trails