Mount Rainier National Park
Just For Kids
MOUNT RAINIER
A Walk in the Woods
Walk the Trail of the Shadows at Longmire or the Hot Springs Trail at Ohanapecosh. These and other short nature trails have self-guiding booklets or interpretive trail exhibits and are great fun.
Campfire Program
In summer, kids can join a park naturalist for a guided walk or campfire program.
Visit a Nature Center
Check out the visitor centers at Paradise, Longmire and Ohanapecosh, which have touch tables and sound exhibits.
Go on a Photo Safari
Play with a point-and-shoot camera. Go on a photo "scavenger hunt" and take pictures of special flowers, glaciers, big trees and other park features. At home, use the photos to make a vacation scrapbook.
OLYMPIC
Junior Rangers
The Junior Ranger program has games and activities that help you learn about the park's plants and animals. Pick up a Junior Ranger booklet ($1 donation requested) at any visitor center or ranger station and complete the activities listed inside. Then a park ranger will sign you up as a Junior Ranger and give you a badge. Check at a visitor center or ranger station for more information.
Take a Hike
Many short nature trails have self-guiding booklets and are great fun. Hike the 0.75-mile Hall of Mosses Trail in the Hoh Rain Forest or the one-mile Quinault Loop Trail at Lake Quinault in the Olympic National Forest.
See, Hear and Touch
How would you like to hold a deer antler, feel a bit of animal fur or listen to a coyote howl? You can also dress as a ranger and visit a "mini" ranger station, solve giant puzzles, pretend you're a small salmon trying to reach the ocean or play computer games about the park. Spend some time in the Children's Discovery Room at the Olympic National Park Visitor Center in Port Angeles.
Walk with a Park Ranger
Get the real scoop on nature from an NPS ranger on a guided walk during the summer. On a forest walk, see if you can find a banana slug, a salamander or maybe even a Roosevelt elk! On a tide pool walk, you might get to see a sea star or watch an octopus turn different colors.
Mt. Rainier In Depth
News from the Parks
Frommer's Top 5 Parks for Cozy Camping
November 21, 2008 - 10:01am
I always look forward to getting my Frommer's newsletter every week. Not only are they budget travel saavy, they inspire me to get out there no matter the weather! Here are their top five picks for cozy camping.
November 21, 2008 - 10:01am
I always look forward to getting my Frommer's newsletter every week. Not only are they budget travel saavy, they inspire me to get out there no matter the weather! Here are their top five picks for cozy camping.
Park to Reopen Today after Crews Repair Road, Channel Kautz Creek
November 21, 2008 - 9:56am
The Nisqually Road in Mount Rainier National Park will reopen today, a day earlier than expected. The road, and the park, have been closed since Nov. 12 when Kautz Creek jumped its banks and flooded the main road into the park.
November 21, 2008 - 9:56am
The Nisqually Road in Mount Rainier National Park will reopen today, a day earlier than expected. The road, and the park, have been closed since Nov. 12 when Kautz Creek jumped its banks and flooded the main road into the park.
Jenna Otter Returns to Scene of Grizzly Bear Attack
November 21, 2008 - 9:55am
Reporting from Glacier National Park -- No one knew what to expect on the trail to Grinnell Glacier one late summer morning, but a second bull moose less than an hour out was hardly a good sign. During September and October -- mating season -- it's always best to give the spindly-legged animals plenty of room.
November 21, 2008 - 9:55am
Reporting from Glacier National Park -- No one knew what to expect on the trail to Grinnell Glacier one late summer morning, but a second bull moose less than an hour out was hardly a good sign. During September and October -- mating season -- it's always best to give the spindly-legged animals plenty of room.
Expected Rule Change Would Benefit Bicycling in National Parks
November 21, 2008 - 9:07am
An upcoming National Park Service (NPS) rule change could greatly benefit mountain bicycling by improving the administrative process for opening trails to bicycles. IMBA has been asking the agency to revise its policies since 1992, because the current "special regulations" process is needlessly cumbersome and treats bicycles like motorized vehicles.
November 21, 2008 - 9:07am
An upcoming National Park Service (NPS) rule change could greatly benefit mountain bicycling by improving the administrative process for opening trails to bicycles. IMBA has been asking the agency to revise its policies since 1992, because the current "special regulations" process is needlessly cumbersome and treats bicycles like motorized vehicles.
Things Slow At Hawaii's National Parks
November 21, 2008 - 8:55am
On our recent trip to Hawaii we had a feeling that things were less busy than usual. Now there are some numbers to back up our hunch: The national parks in the state saw a drop in attendance of more than 50,000 visitors during the month of October.
November 21, 2008 - 8:55am
On our recent trip to Hawaii we had a feeling that things were less busy than usual. Now there are some numbers to back up our hunch: The national parks in the state saw a drop in attendance of more than 50,000 visitors during the month of October.
