7 Beautiful and Easy Mount Rainier Hikes for Kids

There are so many kid friendly hikes in Mount Rainier National Park! We were absolutely blown away by the waterfalls, mountain views, and solitude we experienced on our hikes in Mount Rainier. Since visiting, Mount Rainier has become one of our favorite National Parks to visit with our kids and we can’t wait to go back. We hope you enjoy these amazing Mount Rainier hikes for kids and families as much as we did!

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Table of Contents

If you’re planning on hiking with your kids you’ll need a good hiking carrier!
Here are our favorites:

Best Hiking Backpack for Young Kids & Toddlers – The Osprey Poco Plus Carrier
Our Favorite Baby Carrier for Newborn Babies (with less head control) – The Baby Bjorn Carrier
Best Front Pack Carrier for Older Babies (with good head control) – The Ergobaby Carrier

Before You Visit

Mount Rainier National Park Timed Entry

As of January 2025, it has not been announced what the timed entry requirements will be for Mount Rainier National Park for 2025. Stay tuned or check the park website for updated information about entry requirements.

Mount Rainier National Park Entrances

There are four entrances to Mount Rainier National Park. Check the map prior to planning your trip to ensure you are using the best entrance for your planned hikes! If you want more information about each entrance, check out our post on the Best 4 Day Mount Rainier National Park Itinerary!

What time of Year to Visit Mount Rainier National Park

Much of Mount Rainier National Park is not hikeable in the winter and spring. When we lived in Tacoma, we visited in mid June and much of the trails were still covered in snow. Our last trip was in mid September and it was perfect with clear trails and much less people. Or time your visit to see the beautiful wildflowers in mid July.

1. Naches Peak Loop

Distance: 3.5 miles
Elevation: 659 feet

This was our absolute favorite of the Mount Rainier hikes for kids. If you have to choose one short hike to do in Mount Rainier, put in a little extra effort and make it this one! You’ll start at the same trailhead as Tipsoo Lake.

While you can do the loop either direction, it’s most common to hike this trail clockwise for the best views. The Naches Peak Loop starts by walking through the forest until it crosses a fun bridge over the highway. Shortly after, it opens into incredible views of the Cascade Mountains. Then you get to join up with the Pacific Crest Trail which is fun and unique experience.

If you’re looking for more information about this hike, check out our post on Hiking the Naches Peak Loop Trail with Kids!

2. Tipsoo Lake

Distance: 0.7 miles
Elevation: flat

Tipsoo Lake is a great walk in Mount Rainier National Park with kids. We used this loop as an opportunity to stretch our legs on the drive from Sunrise back to Packwood. This would be a great spot to see some vibrant wildflowers in Mount Rainier National Park.

On a clear day, you will have stunning views of Mount Rainier and this spot is even more perfect at Sunrise or Sunset! This trailhead is the same as the Naches Peak Loop and part of the trail is the same as well.

3. Frozen Lake via the Sourdough Ridge Trail

Distance: 2.8 miles
Elevation: 534 feet

The Sunrise section of Mount Rainier National Park is mind blowingly beautiful. There is a small caveat to doing this trail with kids… This trail is only safe for young kids (in my opinion) if you have them in your pack! There are many sections of the Sourdough Ridge Trail that has steep drop offs on each side.

For the entire trail, there are stunning views of the Cascade Mountains and Mount Rainier. The best part of this trail was the panoramic views as you walk along the trail. Truthfully, we felt like Frozen Lake was actually a little anticlimactic so if you want to treat this trail as a shorter out and back you would still have an amazing hike.

TIP: This hike can be done as an out and back, or for about the same distance as a loop. We really loved doing the loop so we could see a different section of the trail, and we avoided some crowds that way. We also saw tons of wildlife like a pika, marmots, and beautiful birds on the second half of our hike. If you want to do the loop, just take the wonderland trail down shortly after the Frozen Lake Viewpoint. Then continue on the Sunrise Campground Trail until you hit the Sunrise parking lot.

4. Silver Falls

Distance: 1 mile
Elevation: 300 feet

Silver Falls was the first hike we did when we got to Mount Rainier National Park and it was the perfect way to start our vacation. The Silver Falls Loop starts from the Ohanapecosh Campground, but is a few miles longer. If you want more bang for your buck (and a shorter hike with kids), start the Silver Falls Trail from across the road from where the Grove of the Patriarchs Trail starts.

The hike travels through a peaceful old growth forest and ends with views of a beautiful waterfall. Make sure you keep going past the first viewpoint and cross the bridge. You’ll get a totally different viewpoint of Silver Falls that you won’t want to miss. This was definitely our favorite kid friendly waterfall hike in Mount Rainier NP.

5. Grove of the Patriarchs [Closed 2024]

Distance: 1.1 miles
Elevation: 50 feet

This trail is closed starting from the suspension bridge due to flood damage from the 2021 flood. Normally on this trail you would cross the Ohanapecosh River on a suspension bridge and see groves of some of the biggest and oldest trees in the Cascades. Some of the trees are nearly 40 feet in diameter and 300 feet tall! Hopefully this trail will open again, but the restoration is pending evaluation from engineers to study the river and determine a safe and long lasting bridge replacement strategy.

If you’re visiting other Washington National Parks, check out our favorite Easy Hikes in the North Cascades!

6. Myrtle Falls via the Skyline Trail

Distance: 0.7 miles
Elevation:150 feet

The Skyline Trail starts with a beautiful set of stairs with a quote from the famous naturalist and conservationist, John Muir. “The most luxuriant and the most extravagantly beautiful of all the alpine gardens I ever beheld in all my mountain-top wanderings”.

Walk a short distance up the trail past wildflower meadows. The Skyline Trail has a short trail that veers off to the right to hike down a steep trail to view Myrtle Falls with Mount Rainier in the backdrop. We went early on this trail and got to watch deer grazing in the meadows. However, everything was socked in when we went and we waited it out for about 20 minutes and we had a small timeframe where the fog cleared and we got to see Mount Rainier in all her glory.

TIP: Be warned this trail is VERY popular and was the most crowded of any trail we visited, despite us being there before 9 AM. Make sure to get there early if you don’t want to fight crowds for a picture.

7. Narada Falls

Distance: 0.2 miles
Elevation: 60 feet

Narada Falls is a very short but steep trail down to a big waterfall. This is a great easy hike in Mount Rainier NP to add on when you are visiting the Paradise area of the park. Dane and I had to take turns hiking this one while both kids were sleeping in the car, but fortunately it’s short enough that you can do that if need be. This waterfall is surrounded by lava rock which makes it even more impressive!

Map of Kid Friendly Hikes in Mount Rainier National Park

These are our 7 favorite kid friendly hikes in Mount Rainier National Park. We hope you enjoy your trip to one of the most beautiful US National Parks. We can’t wait to visit again and add some more hikes to this list! Let us know in the comments which hikes you love in Mount Rainier NP. If you’re looking for the Perfect Mount Rainier with Kids Itinerary, we have the best 4 days planned for you!

Ready to plan more family friendly National Parks vacations? Check out some of other National Parks guides or USA Travel Guides to make some life long memories with your kids!

7 Beautiful and Easy Mount Rainier Hikes for Kids