Mount Rainier Premium Small Group Tour Gourmet Lunch Included

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Seattle Center, 305 Harrison St, Seattle, WA 98109-4645

Your tour will begin between 7:30am and 8:00am when your guide for the day picks you up at your downtown Seattle hotel or preferred location in the vicinity. You'll board our spacious high-roof extended length passenger vehicle for the ride south to Mt. Rainier National Park. As we approach the park, Mt. Rainier will periodically come into view on clear days. You'll enjoy the scenery of the rustic farmland and lowland old growth forests will that surround the mountain as we get closer. During the journey, your guide will share background information about the park itself as well as the area's natural history to put your visit to Mt. Rainier in a broader context of the Pacific Northwest's geologic past.

Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Mount Rainier National Park, WA 98304

After entering the park, we'll begin to gain elevation and you'll get your first panoramic views of Mt. Rainier's glacier clad flanks and summit that towers above us at 14,411 ft. On the way up the mountain, we'll make stops to stretch our legs and breath in our surroundings in the old growth forest amidst towering trees that have stood for over 800 years. We'll take in plunging waterfalls and rivers fed by glacial run-off and heavy with silt, shaping the landscape before our eyes. The highest elevation your tour will reach will between 5,400 and 6,400 ft. At these heights, you'll be surrounded by the mountain's sub-alpine splendor. Early spring tours will see the mountain still in the midst of winter at these elevations. Summer tours in July and August will be able to walk through Mt. Rainier's famous expanses of wildflower meadows, and after a short hike, come face to face with some of the mountain's 25 major glaciers--the most of any peak in the US outside of Alaska.

Your full time guide will be with you throughout your journey at Mt. Rainier. You'll learn about the mountain's cycle of seasons, how its glaciers formed, how they are continually changing the landscape, and what's in store for the mountain's future. Around midday, your guide will serve you a delicious catered lunch in the park. No cold, dry sandwiches and bag of chips here! Lunches typically include a selection of steak, salmon, or chicken skewers with sides of vegetables, a fresh green salad, and dessert along with a selection of hot and cold beverages. We happily make meal arrangements for vegetarians, vegans or any other dietary requirements with advanced notice.

Duration: 6 hours

Stop At: Seattle Center, 305 Harrison St, Seattle, WA 98109-4645

After about 6 hours spent within the park, it will be time to head back toward Seattle. On the way back, we have a rest stop where you can choose to buy a late afternoon coffee or indulge in some delicious handmade ice cream--almost worth the trip itself! Once in Seattle, your guide will drop you off at your preferred location in downtown Seattle.

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes