A total of 36 square miles of Mt. Rainier’s surface is covered by glaciers and perennial snow fields. Or, to put in another way, roughly 9% of the entire national park! And it’s no wonder – the park receives heavy amounts of snow each year. In a typical year roughly 643 inches of snow will fall in the Paradise valley. During the winter of 1971-1972, however, Paradise broke the world record for most snowfall in one year when 1122 inches, or 93.5 feet, of snow fell in the valley! Although summer temperatures usually reach into the 60s and 70s, snow can fall anytime. Peter Whittaker, owner of Whittaker Mountaineering, once told Backpacker Magazine that he's seen two feet of snow fall at Paradise on July 4th. But don’t let this deter you in anyway. The Skyline Loop Trail in Paradise is one of the greatest hikes in the entire National Park System. This hike was so incredibly beautiful that it was the first time that I ever kept my camera in my hand for the entire trip. The
amazing scenery never ended!
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
Grand Teton Hikes
