Discover Wildflowers

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. Wildflower photo galleries - Collections of subalpine and forest wildflowers. Wildflower video gallery - Preview Mount Rainier's blooming wildflower meadows by watching these short videos. The Seasons of Mount Rainier - View short videos of different plants found in various parts of the park. Ecological Restoration - Watch short videos about the Ecological Restoration program's work in the park.
Cliff penstemon blooming along Paradise Road, 6/21/24. NPS Photo Currently Blooming Last Updated: June 21, 2024 No color correction needed! Wildflowers like this naturally hot pink cliff penstemon (Penstemon rupicola) are easy to spot while driving up the road to Paradise. You may also see blue-purple Menzie’s penstemon or tall bear grass. Subalpine areas like Paradise are still mostly snow-covered, but wildflowers are starting to emerge along roadsides as snow melts back. NOTE: Always check current trail conditions before heading out! 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.   Wildflower Reports Longmire to Paradise Road (6/21) - bear grass, cliff penstemon, Menzie's penstemon, harsh paintbrush, spreading phlox, Jeffrey's shooting stars, avalanche lily (early), glacier lily (early), elderberry Nisqually Entrance to Longmire (6/21) - salmonberry, cow parsnip, three-leaved anemone, large leaved avens Stevens Canyon Road (6/6) - from east entrance moving west: bear grass, columbine, wild strawberry, harsh paintbrush, lupine, yellow monkeyflower, cliff penstemon, Menzie's penstemon, Sitka mountain ash, buttercup suksdorfia; west of Stevens Creek (higher elevations): trillium, spreading phlox, few early glacier lily Ohanapecosh (6/6) - vanilla leaf, bunchberry, star-flowered Solomon's seal, large-leaved avens, devil's club, wild strawberry, Queen's cup, thimbleberry Longmire (6/5) - leafy mitrewort, wild strawberry, kinnikinnick, salal (early), salmonberry (early), Cascade Oregon-grape, red huckleberry, miner's lettuce (early), lupine (few), smooth alumroot, osoberry, blue-eyed Mary
Mountain Bog Gentian NPS Photo Wildflower Photos 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 and Sunrise 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.     Meadow Preservation Enjoy wildflowers? Stay on trails