Sunrise is the highest point in Mount Rainier National Park that you can reach by road, about 6,400 feet above the sea, and the view from the car park is the one that makes people stop mid-sentence. From here the mountain, a volcano of 14,411 feet that is the highest in the Cascade Range, stands only a few miles away across a bowl of meadows and moraines, with the Emmons Glacier, the biggest in the contiguous United States by area, spilling down its flank. On a clear day it is almost too large to take in.
The road to get there is the White River Road, branching from State Route 410, which itself climbs through fir and hemlock forest to Chinook Pass, at about 5,400 feet. The final switchbacks to Sunrise are steep and tight, climbing about three thousand feet in a few miles, with big drops at the edge and the mountain appearing and vanishing between the trees. The surface is generally good, but frost heaves and patches do appear, and fog and cloud can hide the view completely, so go on a clear day. The road is only open in the snow-free season, usually from early July until October, and it can close at short notice in early storms. A park entrance fee applies.
At the top, wildflowers fill the meadows in July and August, with lupine, paintbrush and avalanche lilies, and marmots whistle from the rocks. Mountain goats may be seen on the cliffs, and the weather is cool and breezy even in summer, so a warm layer is a good idea. Trails lead out from the car park to viewpoints. At this height you may feel the thinner air.
A visitor centre and snack bar operate in summer, with limited hours. The best light is in the morning, and the crowds arrive by noon, so an early start pays. In autumn the huckleberry leaves turn red across the slopes, and the first snow dusts the peak. Check the National Park Service website for road conditions before setting out.