Best time to visit Mount Rainier National Park
July, August and September are the best balance at Mount Rainier: mild and dry for the park (average highs 57° to 64°F), with crowds from moderate to very busy. July is busiest, with about 421,000 visitors. April is the quietest, with highs near 40°F.
- Quiet
- Moderate
- Busy
- Very busy
- Few or no visits (may be closed)
- Best months
Month by month
- Station
- Rainier Paradise RS, WA USC00456898
- Lat / lon
- 46.79, -121.74
- Elevation
- 5,427 ft
- From park center
- 5.1 mi
- Second station
- Longmire Rainier Nps, WA 2,762 ft
- Normals
- 1991–2020
- Visits
- 2023–2025
| Field | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Julbest | Augbest | Sepbest | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High, °F | 35° | 34° | 36° | 40° | 48° | 54° | 62° | 64° | 57° | 46° | 37° | 33° | 45° |
| Low, °F | 24° | 23° | 24° | 26° | 33° | 37° | 44° | 45° | 41° | 33° | 26° | 22° | 31° |
| High at 2,762 ft, °F | 37° | 40° | 45° | 51° | 60° | 66° | 75° | 76° | 69° | 55° | 43° | 36° | 54° |
| Precipitation, in | 17.2 | 12.9 | 13.2 | 8.3 | 5.1 | 3.8 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 4.4 | 11.3 | 18.2 | 18.9 | 116.4 |
| Snow, in | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Daylight, h:mm | 8:55 | 10:13 | 11:45 | 13:31 | 15:01 | 15:51 | 15:31 | 14:13 | 12:30 | 10:48 | 9:18 | 8:33 | |
| Visitors, thousands | 21 | 16 | 24 | 32 | 93 | 235 | 421 | 404 | 207 | 133 | 33 | 22 | 1,643 |
| Crowds | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Quiet | Busy | Very busy | Very busy | Moderate | Moderate | Quiet | Quiet | |
| Weather | Cold | Cold | Cold | Cool | Cool | Cool | Mild | Mild | Mild | Cool | Cold | Cold |
| Month | High °F | Low °F | High at 2,762 ft | Precip., in | Snow, in | Daylight | Visitors | Crowds | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 24° | 37° | 17.2 | – | 8:55 | 21,000 | Quiet | Cold |
| February | 34° | 23° | 40° | 12.9 | – | 10:13 | 16,000 | Quiet | Cold |
| March | 36° | 24° | 45° | 13.2 | – | 11:45 | 24,000 | Quiet | Cold |
| April | 40° | 26° | 51° | 8.3 | – | 13:31 | 32,000 | Quiet | Cool |
| May | 48° | 33° | 60° | 5.1 | – | 15:01 | 93,000 | Quiet | Cool |
| June | 54° | 37° | 66° | 3.8 | – | 15:51 | 235,000 | Busy | Cool |
| Julybest | 62° | 44° | 75° | 1.4 | – | 15:31 | 421,000 | Very busy | Mild |
| Augustbest | 64° | 45° | 76° | 1.6 | – | 14:13 | 404,000 | Very busy | Mild |
| Septemberbest | 57° | 41° | 69° | 4.4 | – | 12:30 | 207,000 | Moderate | Mild |
| October | 46° | 33° | 55° | 11.3 | – | 10:48 | 133,000 | Moderate | Cool |
| November | 37° | 26° | 43° | 18.2 | – | 9:18 | 33,000 | Quiet | Cold |
| December | 33° | 22° | 36° | 18.9 | – | 8:33 | 22,000 | Quiet | Cold |
| Year | 45° | 31° | 54° | 116.4 | – | 1,643,000 | |||
Year: average high and low, total precipitation and snowfall, total visitors. T = trace (under 0.05 in). – = not measured at this station. Updated .
- Hottest August, average high 64°F
- Coldest nights December, average low 22°F
- Source NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information; National Park Service
- Visitors a year about 1,643,000 (2023–2025 average)
- State Washington
Elevation matters here: the record's second station, Longmire Rainier Nps, WA, sits at 2,762 ft, against 5,427 ft for Rainier Paradise RS, WA. Expect conditions between the two depending on where you go.
Closures, reservations and alerts: Mount Rainier National Park on nps.gov
Nearby
- Fort Vancouver National Historic SiteBest: Apr, Jun and Sep · Washington
- Olympic National ParkBest: Apr, May and Jun · Washington
- Lewis and Clark National Historical ParkBest: Apr, May and Sep · Oregon
- San Juan Island National Historical ParkBest: Jun, Aug and Sep · Washington