Mt. Rainier Night Skies Photo Workshop

Photograph dramatic night skies at one of America's oldest national parks

Of all the fire-mountains which, like beacons, once blazed along the Pacific Coast, Mount Rainier is the noblest. — John Muir

On a visit to Western Washington, you’re sure to see Mt. Rainier. Its snow- and glacier-capped peak dominates the skyline at 14,410 feet above sea level. Established in 1899, Mt. Rainier is the fifth National Park in the US. Native tribes know the volcano as Tahoma, but locals call it “The Mountain.” When the clouds break during dreary winter weather, and the dramatic peak appears, exclaiming, “The Mountain is out,” will make you sound like a local.

Summer is the ideal time to visit and photograph Mt. Rainier. Mid-summer weather is typically warm and dry. By the end of July, snow will finally melt off the trails at lower elevations, and spectacular wildflower meadows bloom. Good weather and relatively few clouds make mid-summer the ideal season for night sky photography. Mt. Rainier’s remote location and enormous size mean it has excellent dark skies.

To control overcrowding during the summer, Mt. Rainier National Park has implemented a timed-entry reservation system. The reservation requirement makes visiting the park more difficult during peak season. By joining an organized photography workshop, we manage these details for you, so you don’t have to worry about entry reservations.

Akari Photo Tours is an authorized permittee of the National Park Service.

Highlights

• Photograph the Milky Way and dark, starry skies over one of North America's most dramatic glaciated volcanoes.
• Photograph sunrise, sunset, and wildflowers at iconic locations.
• Visit spectacular old-growth forests and lovely waterfalls.