South Shore's Outing to Paradise @ Mount Rainier

<< Trip Reports click to return to the list of our trips.

Team:

South Shore K-8

Date:

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Trip Type:

Snow Sledding

Photos:

View slideshow

Plan:

We're going to head up to Mount Rainier's Paradise. At Paradsie we'll go for a short hike up to Alta Vista and have lunch there. After lunch we'll head down to the designated sledding area for a couple hours of sledding fun.

Report:

Our original plan for this trip was to go to Snoqualmie Pass for snowshoeing & sledding. The weather however was not cooperating. It has been warm and dry so there was no snow at the Pass. However there was snow at Mount Rainier so we decided to go there instead. Also, with the weather inversion we were experiencing it would mean that even though it was overcast and chilly in Seattle it would be warm and sunny at Mount Rainier.

It was a lot of driving for a day trip, we spent more time on the road than we did there, but it ended up being worth it. Conditions were amazing at the Paradise Visitors' Center at Mount Rainier. We had clear blue skies and mid-sixties temperatures. When we got there we went for a short hike until we found a lunch spot with a good view of Mount Rainier. After lunch we went back to the designated sledding area for some sledding before loading up into the vans and heading back to Seattle.

TIMELINE
--------

9 am - Meet the kids at South Shore school

9:30am - Leave South Shore

Noon - Arrive at the Paradise Visitors center

1pm - After short hike have lunch

2pm - Go sledding

2:45pm - Load up in vans for drive home

5:15pm - Return to South Shore

Suggestions:

There is only one designated sledding area at Paradise, sledding is not allowed anywhere else. A lot of people were there to sled and the lines were long and slow. The kids had to wait in line almost 45 minutes for their chance to go sledding.