7 Easy Mount Rainier Trails for Mini Mountaineers
Photo:
Credit: Visit Rainier
Trail of the Shadows
Distance: 0.7 mile round trip
Short, mostly level Trail of the Shadows is perfect for everyone, and navigable by wheelchair and stroller. The trailhead is easy to access by parking behind the National Park Inn at Longmire and then crossing the street. Kids can gain some insight into homesteading life by exploring the preserved cabin of James Longmire. Along the way, you will also see two rock-enclosed hot springs: Soda Springs and Iron Mike, the latter named for its rust-colored water. Don’t let the kids play in or drink the water! Other sights include a marsh, a travertine mound, a creek and the foundation of a hotel where people stayed in the 1890s to bathe in the springs, which were thought to have healing properties.
Next trail: Grove of the Patriarchs