Sunrise Nature Trail Stop 8

Wildflowers of Sunrise.

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Location:

Sunrise Nature Trail begins just to the east of the bathrooms at Sunrise.

Amenities

1 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits

The meadows at Sunrise change color with the changing season. The blooming of Mount Rainier's gorgeous wildflower meadows is inextricably tied to the amount of snow on the ground. When snow melts earlier, some flowers bloom earlier. As the climate warms, impacting snowmelt, “peak bloom”, when a large variety of wildflowers bloom simultaneously, could also change in the future. Wildflower season may stretch out throughout spring and summer, moving away from a time in which you could capture 20 species blooming in one photo. The yellow glacier lily and white pasqueflower bloom early in the season. Blue lupine and purple Cascade aster (pictured) provide most of the color in midsummer. In late summer, the pasqueflower forms a seedhead (pictured) and the ripening red berries of Sitka mountain ash bring new color to the area. How many species do you see in bloom today? Ask the park staff at the Sunrise Visitor Center for a free wildflower identification brochure to learn more about the wildflowers of Mount Rainier.