Mt. Rainier Day Tour from Seattle
Description
No Minimums! Visit Mt. Rainier with our professional, enthusiastic and informative tour guides. Travel in our clean, comfortable mini-coaches with large windows, high back seats and heat + A/C. The season will determine the route and accessibility of your tour! In the summer, experience old-growth forests, wildflower-filled meadows, and thundering waterfalls on this tour of glacier-clad Mt. Rainier. Winter tours spend more time at Longmire with complimentary snow shoes. Hike and walk a little or not at all: there are options for all abilities. Enjoy lunch at a Mt. Rainier cafe or buy a picnic lunch along the way. No two tours are the same! Your guide will provide the best tour available on any given day. Return to Seattle through memorable PNW scenery. Bring a camera on this spectacular Mt. Rainier tour as well as comfortable walking shoes. Layer both warm and cool weather clothing as mountain temperatures can vary from rainy and cold to sunny and hot during a single day.
Tour Options
Itinerary
No 2 tours are the same! Our goal each day is to showcase as much of the national park as possible during our time in the park. Routes and stops look different depending on the season.
Longmire, home to the original park headquarters & more recently, the National Park Inn, Longmire museum & Wilderness Information Center, is a popular stop on all tours. Opportunity for restrooms, short hikes & photos here.
Tours mid-April through mid-October stop here for guests to get a view of the top of the falls. When weather permits, some tours are able to hike to the lower falls for more photo opportunities!
Visitor Center - Have lunch at the restaurant, cafe, or bring your own sack lunch. Hiking opportunities available. Scenic views and wildlife. This is a popular stop on tours mid-April through mid-October.
While this is not a guaranteed stop, tours will try to stop here during peak season (July/August) for the postcard-worthy photo of Mt Rainier & it's reflection in the still lake. This is not always an accessible stop.
Some tours (not all) will visit Tipsoo Lake, a subalpine lake within Mt Rainier National Park
Drive through the picturesque mountain town of Elbe, WA en route to the national park
This is a popular stop on tours year round!
Sunrise is a rare stop on our tours but is possible July - early September in place of Paradise
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please contact local service provider to arrange pickup from a nearby location after you have received your confirmation
- Tour cannot pickup from hotels or private residences
- Enjoy lunch at a Mt. Rainier cafe or buy a picnic lunch at our grocery store stop (own expense)
- Layered clothing and comfortable shoes are recommended (temperatures can vary from rainy and cold to sunny and hot in a single day)
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Traffic and road conditions may alter tour route
- Please allow up to 11 hours for pickup and drop-off service
- We may ask that you walk a couple blocks for pickup or drop off due to traffic or road conditions
- This tour does not have storage space for luggage, strollers or wheelchairs without advance arrangements
- Ongoing construction at Mt Rainier National Park may cause tour delays
- The seasons and weather play a big role in what is available and accessible at Mt Rainier National Park. Tours mid-October through early May will be limited in number of stops & services available.
- November 12 - Spring 2026: Paradise is only accessible based on road conditions day-of
Reviews(2,066)
Mount Rainier tour was great. Tour guide John was knowledgeable, informative and provided great customer service ensuring that the experience was memorable.
My. Rainier is a gem to west coast of America, the most beautiful and breathtaking vacation place. Hopefully will get a few night stays in future.
We had a great time seeing the beautiful mountains sides and deep woods on our way to Mount Rainier. Ken was very knowledgeable and patient. The mountains are beautiful and seeing the large 100 year old trees was awesome. The trip is long but well worth it.
DJ was a great guide, authentic and enthusiastic with a true appreciation for the national park!
Our tour guide was Ken. The information and stories he shared throughout the day were interesting and at times amusing. It requires a lot of stamina to drive all day long, guide everyone on trails, and keep things flowing just right. Ken has the perfect composure and talent for this, plus his style of driving was always mellow. Rainier National Park did not disappoint. We were led on a few short & easy hikes to points of interest, and we had enough free-time on a couple of stops to explore nature on our own or simply relax, eat or shop. Majestic sights everywhere. A perfect day all the way through being dropped back off in Seattle along with good recommendations for dinner a few choices for where to hop off.
Plan for a full day, and it’s worth the time to do it. Lots of viewpoints of the mountain, plus 1 1/2 hours at Paradise for hiking.
My family & I had a great time on our tour with one of the best tour guides that I have had, DJ. He kept us laughing & entertained during our full day mt rainier tour. His instructions were always clear about where to go & what to do. The clouds finally cleared & we ended up having a beautiful view of mt rainier.Lots of great pictures were taken & we were rewarded for being such a prompt group with a trip to an ice cream shop in the cute town of Elbe. I highly recommend the tour especially with DJ! Thanks for a great day!
Erika was a wonderful guide! She was very friendly, considerate and knowledgeable throughout the trip, my friend and I had a great time:) the tour bus was pretty comfortable as well, would recommend this tour if you want a relaxing day at rainier.
Tour kicked off on schedule and as designed. DJ our tour guide communicated well about what we’d be doing. The stop at the grocery store for snacks, water etc was a bit weird. DJ gave out his number to everyone so he could get fuel points from the purchases made inside Safeway. After the tour was over I’d say this was very overpriced for the value. Nothing was included other than the entry to the park. That was around $100 for all 20 of us. Our tour cost around $187 each. I will say that I have been on numerous tours all over the world and have to say this was the furthest from cost/value. Also food was available at the park which made no sense why we wasted 45 min at Safeway. On the way back our tour bus broke down about an hour from downtown. I’m pretty sure the engine blew. DJ drove that thing hard. No surprise. We were due to arrive at about 6 but broke down around 5. DJ said he’d have to call for someone to pick us up to get us back to the hotel. I called an Uber and got a ride back. I wasn’t waiting around for who knows how long to get a ride. Cost me $69 to get back but at least we were able to make our other plans and not be sitting in a parking lot waiting for someone to get us. Also DJ slammed on the brakes to miss a squirrel. And proceeded to say I don’t swerve. In all my tours over the years I’ve never had anyone slam the brakes and scare everyone because a squirrel ran out. On the bright side it did wake everyone up. All in all I’d say a 3. I usually give 5 for all our tours but this was just overpriced. Tour company never reached out to us regarding being broke down and offering compensation for having to find other transportation back. Hopefully they lower the price and cut out the grocery store.
Thanks for leaving your feedback. We're bummed to hear you didn't find value in your day with us. We'd like to take the opportunity to address a couple of items you mentioned. Our stop at the grocery store is often a valued stop for guests, not just for supplies but also for restrooms before entering the park. Having a phone number to enter at Safeway offers guests a discount on their purchases and our guests often appreciate the savings it offers! The availability of food within the park is hit-or-miss; there have been many days this summer where the delivery truck was late and the cafe had little-to-no offerings. That said, guests are welcome to choose their lunch option! It was unfortunate your mini coach experienced a blown spark plug but luckily this happened at the first drop off location, and a new bus was there within 5 minutes. DJ did let you know we had a new bus just a few minutes away before you ordered the Uber but you decided to go ahead with the rideshare anyway. The spark plug issue did not cause a delay greater than 7 minutes and all guests were dropped off before 6pm. We hope this information provides some perspective and we wish you the best in your future travels.
Great tour, beautiful park, very happy with the day!!
