Two nights of car camping with a 4 year-old has its ups and downs. Mostly ups, though. Micah and I did an end-of-summer whirlwind trip around Rainier, first night at White River, second night at Ohanapecosh. (Don’t you just love saying “Ohanapecosh?” Four year-olds do, I can tell you that. Saying it, singing it, whatever.)
A couple side trips as well: Sunrise in the morning and Tipsoo Lake for lunch. With a few random hikes and unscheduled explorations along the way. There is so much to see that it’s a shame to spend much time in the campgrounds. National Parks are, in general, a balance between the wild and the tame, between untrammeled beauty and concentrated humanity. In this, Mount Rainier strikes a decent compromise. Not as stunningly wild as say, Gates of the Arctic but a whole lot better than Yosemite.
The snow is going to start falling again soon. Best get up there yourself before the white blanket gets pulled back over everything.