In winter, Mount Rainier has one door for cars. Here is how the Nisqually Entrance, the Longmire gate and the chain rule work, and what to do on the days the road to Paradise stays shut.

Every hot tub photo looks good. This one covers what the photo leaves out: the roof, the water routine, and what you'll actually see from the tub near Mount Rainier.

By October, Mount Rainier solves its own crowd problem, and the huckleberry meadows around Paradise turn red and gold while everyone else has gone home. Here's the case for visiting Rainier's Nisqually side in fall, from empty trailheads to the one gate that never closes for the season.

The huckleberry meadows around Paradise turn before most visitors think to look, and the trails on Rainier's Nisqually side see a fraction of the fall traffic Sunrise gets online. Here's where to find the best color, from an easy paved loop to a steep climb past Comet Falls.

Ashford's day spa books three weeks out. Here's the honest rundown on massage near Mt. Rainier, and the licensed therapist Fjellsangin brings to the cabin.

The Paradise parking lot fills earlier than most people plan for, and the timing shifts with the season. Here is what one day actually buys you, why Sunrise needs its own, and how much the drive from Ashford changes the arithmetic.

Every spring, someone plans a wildflower trip to Mount Rainier and finds snow. The real bloom happens later. Here's when to actually go, and what late summer looks like from Fjellsangin's side of the mountain.