August 27, 2012
A heavy snow pack and beautiful summer weather have conspired to produce a stellar wildflower bloom in the subalpine meadows of Mount Rainier National Park. I found the meadows in peak bloom this weekend in the Paradise and Mazama Ridge areas, with lupine, paintbrush, bistort, aster, arnica, sitka valerian and more all showing great colors.
“Oh, what a Paradise!”, Martha Longmire (daughter-in-law of famed Rainier pioneer James Longmire) proclaimed in the late 1800’s upon seeing these meadows for the first time.