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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Twinflower along Silver Falls Trail, 6/23/26.

NPS Photo

Currently Blooming

Last Updated: June 22, 2026
Twinflower (Linnaea borealis) is a delightful low elevation forest wildflower, named for its matching set of pink blooms. The plant spreads with long running stems across the forest floor, often forming mats of small green leaves with numerous pairs of pink flowers. Twinflower is among the many forest wildflowers still blooming, while the subalpine meadows continue to shake off last season’s snow.

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
Nisqually Entrance-Longmire Road (6/29) - cow parsnip, thimbleberry, lupine, large-leaf avens, goats beard, tiger lily Trail of the Shadows and around Longmire (6/26) - piggyback plant, smooth alumroot, lupine, spotted coralroot, western coralroot, pinesap, devil's club, slender bog orchid, pink wintergreen, starflower, bear grass, largeleaf avens, foam flower, small-flowered buttercup, forest penstemon, twin flower, self-heal, pathfinder, salal, foam flower Longmire-Paradise Road (6/17) - cliff penstemon, phlox (near Canyon Rim viewpoint), Sitka mountain ash, lupine	Paradise Meadows (6/21) - Still snow-covered at higher elevations, but early season wildflowers emerging in melted areas include: marsh marigold, subalpine buttercup, avalanche lily, glacier lily, magenta paintbrush, pasqueflower, yellow violets, cinquefoil (early), pink mountain heather, Jeffrey's shooting stars Lower Skyline Trail - lots of avalanche lilies & glacier lilies, pasqueflower, marsh marigold Paradise Valley Road (6/15) - glacier lilies, avalanche lilies, pasqueflower, Jeffrey's shooting stars, marsh marigold, yellow violets
Around the park	Sunrise Area
Silver Falls Trail (6/24) - twinflower, foam flower, pathfinder, pink wintergreen, pipsissewa, starflower, western coralroot, candystripe, pinesap, salal, wild rose, forest penstemon, bunchberry (late), rattlesnake plantain (early) Stevens Canyon Road (6/15) - phlox, avalanche lilies, glacier lilies, false Solomon's seal, cinquefoil, harsh paintbrush, magenta paintbrush, cliff penstemon, Menzie's penstemon, Sitka valerian, Sitka mountain ash, red elderberry, Oregon sunshine, silverback lunia, columbine, rusty saxifrage, redstem ceanothus, trailing blackberry, yarrow, rosy spirea, tall bluebells	Check back for updates later in the summer!

 

Red Columbine Flower

NPS Photo / Filo Merid

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