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.

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NPS Photos of pearly everlasting, goldenrod blooming in front of Mount Rainier, and fireweed found in the Paradise area, August 2026.

NPS Photo

Currently Blooming

Last Updated: August 21, 2026
“Am I too late to see wildflowers?” This is a common question this time of year and the answer is no! While the subalpine meadows of Mount Rainier are moving past peak bloom, there are still many late season wildflowers to enjoy. On exposed hillsides, look for tall plumes of pink fireweed. White and yellow pearly everlasting is common along park roads. In drier areas, you may see bright spikes of goldenrod.

Please stay on the trails.

As snow continues to melt away, it may be tempting to skirt remaining patches of snow or mud 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

Longmire Area	Paradise Area
Trail of the Shadows and around Longmire (8/20) - past bloom for most species.	Paradise Meadows (8/21): Past peak but still blooming: Cascade aster, false hellebore, fireweed, Lewis' monkeyflower, magenta paintbrush, mountain bog gentian, mountain monkeyflower, nodding arnica, pearly everlasting, rosy spirea, scarlet paintbrush, goldenrod Paradise Valley Road (8/18) - Cascade aster, broadleaf arnica, scarlet paintbrush, false hellebore, pearly everlasting, yellow willowherb, fireweed
Around the park	Sunrise Area
Tipsoo Lake/Naches Peak Loop Trail (8/21) - pask peak but a few: rosy spirea, pearly everlasting, false hellebore, mountain bog gentian, Lewis' monkeyflower, fireweed, Cascade aster, magenta paintbrush, scarlet paintbrush, yarrow, subalpine daisy	NOTE: Sunrise Area currently CLOSED due to Grand Park 2 Fire. SR410/Chinook Pass/Tipsoo Lake remains open.

 

Subalpine wildflower meadows bursting in full bloom, July 2026.

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