Penstemon wildflowers growing along the road to Sunrise.
NPS Photo
Mount Rainer's renowned wildflowers bloom for a limited amount of time every year. The "peak" bloom for wildflowers is heavily dependent on weather and precipitation patterns, so accurate predictions are difficult. In most years, many flowers will be blooming by mid-July, and by the first of August the meadows should be very impressive. Frost can occur by late August, but even after light frosts the meadows continue to be very beautiful, thanks to changing leaf colors and seed pod development that take the place of colorful blossoms.
For a better idea of what the wildflowers are doing this year, please see the Currently Blooming section below, which summarizes what's blooming where.
Explore further:
Wildflower Guide - Unfamiliar with Mount Rainier's wildflowers? Photos and brief descriptions of some of the common wildflower species can be found in the park's online wildflower guide.
Ecological Restoration - Watch short videos about the Ecological Restoration program's work in the park.
Avalanche lilies along the Paradise Valley Road, 7/10/24
NPS Photo
Currently Blooming
Last Updated: July 15, 2024
Numerous wildflowers are beginning to bloom in the park! Early season subalpine wildflowers in full swing include avalanche and glacier lilies. Avalanche lilies (Erythronium montanum) can form abundant colonies that fill the meadows with white and yellow blooms. This patch was photographed along the Paradise Valley Road, where avalanche lilies are covering the west-facing slopes. It can take several years for each plant to start blooming, and they are easily damaged when trampled. Please stay on trails, even if it means crossing patches of snow, to help protect the subalpine wildflower meadows!
Please stay on the trails. As snow melts away, it may be tempting to skirt remaining patches of snow that are covering trails. However, by going off trail you are walking on and damaging the wildflowers that you may be coming to see! It is better to stay on the trail even if that means crossing snow, particularly in the high-visitation meadows around Paradise and Sunrise. Also, there are plenty of opportunities for the perfect mountain + wildflower photo from the trails! No need to step off trail and crush other flowers in your quest for the perfect shot.
Longmire Area (7/11) - twin flower, smooth alumroot, forest penstemon, tiger lily, salal, lupine, pathfinder, pink wintergreen, little pippsissewa, slender bog orchid, foam flower, miner's lettuce, piggyback plant, selfhear, water parsley
Paradise Area (7/10) - avalanche lilies, glacier lilies, pink mountain heather, white mountain heather, pasqueflower, subalpine daisy, subalpine buttercup, Jeffrey's shooting star, American bistort, Sitka valerian, broadleaf arnica, rosy spirea,. Best trails to enjoy early blooms: Bench and Snow Lakes, Nisqually Vista Trail and Alta Vista, and Myrtle Falls (just past Myrtle Falls there is a sea of yellow flowers (pasqueflower, glacier lillies and subalpine buttercups).
Paradise Valley Road (7/10) - avalanche lilies, yellow violets, red elderberry, salmonberry, Sitka valerian, pink mountain heather, lupine
Sunrise Area (7/10) - pasqueflower, glacier lily, spreading phlox, fan-leaf cinquefoil, Sitka valerian, lupine, showy Jacon's ladder, Cusick's speedwel, bracted lousewort, scarlet paintbrush, magenta paintbrush, small-flowered penstemon. Best trail to enjoy early blooms: Silver Forest and Sourdough Ridge to Shadow Lake.
The photos featured here are usually taken by park staff and volunteers from all over the park. Share your own wildflower photos in the Mount Rainier Flickr group! Higher resolution versions of wildflower photos are available on Mount Rainier's Flickr page.
Plan Your Visit
Paradise andSunrise are two of the main visitor center areas at Mount Rainier National Park. Both areas are well known for their impressive wildflower meadows. The park also maintains dozens of trails perfect for wildflower viewing.
