Mt Rainier Day Tour on my BMW R1200 GSA

“Of all the fire mountains which like beacons, once blazed along the Pacific Coast, Mount Rainier is the noblest.” - John Muir

Last weekend, we were fortunate to have one day of warm sun. A perfect day for a spring ride over to the Yakima Valley.

I took the bike over Chinook Pass on Mt Rainier (Hwy 410) and over to Naches and then took Hwy 12 back past Rimrock Lake. Form there I entered Mt Rainier park and rode up Steven's Canyon to Paradise.

Enjoy these panoramic photo teasers.

Entering the park on hwy 410 up to Chinook Pass.

Near the top of Chinook Pass

Tipsoo Lake area.. yep there is a lake in there... somewhere

Gretchen is enjoying the views.

Just on the other side of the Chinook Pass, I stop for lunch and enjoy this view.

Near Naches and the junction for hwy 12. I tried to get some good video of a bald eagle which kept passing within 10 feet or so of me along the river. However, when I got my camera ready, the Eagle refused to cooperate.  

Hwy 12 heading towards Mty Rainier.

She's a beauty.

Front row seats for the show.

Little Tahoma (11,138') is a satellite peak off of Mt Rainier. Look closely.. that looks to be an interesting ice cave forming in the glacier.

Reflection lake. Yep, there is a lake in there as well. Later in the summer, Mt Rainier can be seen reflecting in the snow cover lake in the foreground.

Just before the Paradise parking lot, there are great views of the Nisqually glacier.

Looks like some good hiking here along the edge of the glacier.

The Tatoosh mountains, just south of the Mt Rainier.

Pinnacle Peak and Plummer Peak. I've climbed these years ago. They offer GREAT views of Mt Rainier and the surrounding volcanos on a clear day.  

Another volcano,  Mt Adams (12,281') looming in the distance.

In my younger years, I used to climb this volcano, along with Mt St Helens, every year. It is a great climb and very rewarding.

Summer is almost here.

Until next time....