Distance: 15.7 miles Elevation gain: 6,303 feet Call it the face that launched a thousand trips: The view of Mt. Rainier’s northwestern façade from Spray Park, where overflowing lupine and paintbrush blooms jostle each other to get into the frame, may just make for the most memorable photo op in the park. There’s just one problem today—I can’t actually see the peak. On this summer morning, chilled mist swirls among the wildflowers, blotting out the postcard view. But I don’t mind: The fog lends an otherworldly vibe to the scene and keeps fairweather hikers away, giving me a rare chance to savor the colorful meadow in solitude. Besides, as I’ll be reminded over and over again on this 16-mile loop through high-altitude scree fields and lush temperate rainforest, you don’t have to see the mountain to feel its power.