Rainer/St Helens Suggestions

hi all,

I'm heading to Seattle this weekend and will be there from Friday through Monday. I would like to catch some wildflowers and also the upcoming meteor shower. Can someone suggest some locations where I could catch the action?

Appreciate your input.

Thanks,
Sairam

For both, the fastest would be to head up to Snoqualamie Pass on I-90.  There you would have wild flowers and less light pollution from Seattle.  About 90 minutes east of Seattle.  Mt. Rainier would be better but minimum 2 hours plus from Seattle and heavily used on weekends.  Mt. St Helens is minimum 3 to 3.5 hours from Seattle and if you have traffic, you might not make it.  Seattle traffic is a total nightmare so be prepared,  I live in Olympia and without traffic, I can drive to Seattle in 75 minutes.  With traffic over 2 hours.

There are several websites that give information that should be helpful. visitrainier.com  and the national park service website for Rainier are a couple.  www.nps.gov/mora. On Saturday the 13th the gondola at Crystal Mountain will be available for star gazing (persiad at its peak)from 7pm to 11:30pm. Some time within those hours it will shut down for "quiet time". Check the visitrainier website for more information. Not sure about the wildflowers at Paradise or Sunrise on Rainier but they can be exceptional. (I was at Sunrise 3 weeks ago and not many flowers.  They were yet to bloom.) Both are accessible from Seattle. Check the Rainier web cams and other websites for more information. NOTE: Rainier has become very popular and it is extremely difficult to find parking at both Paradise and Sunrise. The earlier you arrive the better. As David notes the traffic on weekends and number of people visiting the park can be overwhelming.

thanks guys! Had a pretty decent outing :)