The Paradise Wildflower Bloom

Paradise, on the south flank of Mount Rainier at 5,400 feet, holds the densest subalpine meadows in the park; the Skyline Trail, the Nisqually Vista loop, and the Alta Vista trail thread directly through the bloom. Sunrise, the highest road-accessible point in the park at 6,400 feet, runs a few weeks behind Paradise and holds the late-season color into August. Box Canyon and Longmire at lower elevations bloom several weeks earlier.

What makes it happen: Snowmelt drives the timing. Paradise can hold deep snow into June some years, and the meadows bloom in a short, concentrated burst as the snow recedes — the Park Service describes the flowers as 'blooming profusely in order to reproduce as quickly as possible before the winter snows return.' Most years, most species are blooming by mid-July, with the meadows reaching their most impressive display around August 1. A heavy-snow winter pushes the peak later; a light-snow year pulls it earlier. Sunrise lags Paradise by two to three weeks because of elevation.