Skyline Trail Loop (Paradise, Mount Rainier) Hiking Guide
The Skyline Trail is the signature loop at Paradise, climbing from the Jackson Visitor Center through meadows to Panorama Point, where the Nisqually Glacier and the summit fill the view, then dropping back past Myrtle Falls. It is the hike most people picture when they think of Mount Rainier. It is also a real climb at altitude, and by mid-fall the high section can hold fresh snow. Here is the route, the numbers and what changes as winter arrives.
Permit: Mount Rainier National Park charges an entrance fee of $30 per private vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, or $15 per person 16 and older arriving on foot or bike, each valid for 7 consecutive days. The $55 Mount Rainier annual pass and America the Beautiful passes are accepted; Washington's Discover Pass is not. Entrance stations take cards only. The park is not using timed-entry reservations anywhere in 2026. Day hikes need no permit; a wilderness permit is required for any overnight camping.
The Loop, Clockwise
Start at the stone steps by the Jackson Visitor Center, inscribed with a John Muir quote. Hiking clockwise, as the park describes it, you climb about 2 miles to Panorama Point, which has a toilet for hikers. Beyond it the park routes you onto the High Skyline Trail to avoid a steep icy slope that never melts. The trail then passes the Golden Gate junction (the shortcut for a shorter day), the Stevens-Van Trump Memorial, descends into Paradise Valley and climbs gently to Myrtle Falls before the parking lot.
Distance and Climb
The park lists the loop at 5.5 miles round trip with 1,700 feet of gain and about four and a half hours of hiking; its trail index rounds it to 5 miles. AllTrails maps 5.7 miles with 1,784 feet and rates it hard. Paradise itself sits at 5,400 feet, so the whole climb happens in thin air. If you only want the waterfall, the paved stretch to Myrtle Falls is 1 mile round trip and the park calls it wheelchair accessible with assistance.
Paradise in Autumn
Paradise averages 640 inches of snow a year, and the first storms can coat the upper loop well before the meadows below go white. On a clear October day the views reach Mount Adams, Mount St. Helens and Oregon's Mount Hood; on a cloudy one you may see nothing past Panorama Point. Turn back at the snow line if you aren't carrying traction and know how to use it. Meadow travel off the trail is prohibited here, so stay on the built path even where it is muddy.
Visitor Center and the Winter Road
The park says the Jackson Visitor Center usually opens only on weekends and holidays from mid-October through April. The road from Longmire to Paradise is plowed, but from November 1 it closes every night at the Longmire gate and reopens each morning once crews clear it, and all vehicles in the park must carry tire chains from November 1 to May 1. Paradise is a day-use area with no backcountry camping, so plan to be back at the car before the gate schedule matters.
Getting a Parking Spot
On sunny summer weekends the park warns that Paradise parking can be hard or impossible to find, and parking along road edges is not allowed. Entering before 10 a.m. or after 2:30 p.m. helps avoid the worst lines at the Nisqually Entrance, which the park says can top an hour on peak days. Fall weekdays are far quieter.
Hiking tips for Skyline Trail Loop (Paradise, Mount Rainier)
- Hike clockwise and take the High Skyline Trail past Panorama Point as the park advises.
- Carry traction and warm layers from October on; the upper loop catches early snow.
- Use the Golden Gate Trail as a bailout if weather closes in above the meadows.
- Check the Longmire gate status in Alerts before driving up after November 1.
- Arrive early on clear weekends; there is no roadside overflow parking.
Nearby trails to explore
- Pinnacle Peak Trail (Mount Rainier)
- Bench and Snow Lakes Trail
- Comet Falls Trail
Hike this trail with TrailMates
The Skyline loop is a big day that's better shared, from the climb to Panorama Point to the long walk down past Myrtle Falls. Use TrailMates to find hikers planning a Paradise outing and join the group for the day. Download TrailMates on the App Store or Google Play.