Mount Rainier is the most impressive, and the tallest, mountain in the Cascade Range. Its namesake national park covers an area of 236,381 acres on and around “The Mountain”, as it is known by the locals. Though currently dormant, with its most recent eruption about 1,000 years ago, Mt. Rainier is considered an active volcano. It is a land of stunning beauty and highly diverse landscapes. The national park was established in 1899, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The park is a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts, including photographers. The park offers many stunning views of the snow- and glacier-clad mountain (Rainier is the most glaciated peak in the contiguous United States) as well as the surrounding meadows and forests. In summer, the alpine meadows are washed with color from wildflowers (the park is home to more than 300 different flower species). Wildlife, including deer, elk, black bears, mountain goats, and many birds and small mammals, are frequently seen. Besides Mount Rainier, the park also contains a portion of the Cascade Mountains and the Tatoosh Range (a sub-range of the Cascades).
I offer private, customizable, individual or small group workshops of 1 to 5 (or more) days in Mount Rainier National Park. One day workshops will last from sunrise to sunset on a single day. Multi-day workshops will include and evening session, followed by one or more full days (morning and evening sessions with mid-day breaks), and ending with a morning session (for example, a 4-day workshop will actually cover 5 days and require 4 nights lodging). Lodging for multi-day workshops will be the Paradise Lodge, if available, or outside the park in the town of Packwood.*
The best time to visit Rainier is in mid- to late summer through early fall. The peak time for wildflowers is typically the last week in July through the second week of August, though it varies year to year. I offer workshops from mid-July through mid-September.
What’s Included
- Guide service to some of the best spots in Mount Rainier National Park
- Personalized in-field photographic instruction
- Local transportation for groups of 3 and smaller
- Park entry fees
- Pre-trip consultation
- Post-trip Zoom photo sharing/critique meeting (optional)
- Local and state taxes on workshop fees
Not included
- Transportation to and from Rainier as well as local transportation for groups greater than 3 (car pooling is recommended)
- Lodging*
- Meals, beverages, and snacks
Activity/Physical Level
Most of the photo spots will require hiking. Participants should be prepared to hike at least 4 miles roundtrip with elevation gains of 1,000 feet or more. Though workshops can be tailored to limit physical activity, workshops without hikes will greatly limit the number of photo spots available.
weather
Though August is the clearest month of year at Mount Rainier National Park, there are still, on average, 12 to 14 days mostly cloudy days in August, with even more cloudy days in July and September. While summer and early fall provide the best odds for unobstructed views of the mountain, the high elevation setting makes weather highly variable, and clear morning can lead to “socked-in” conditions later in the same day. Joe Becker and Seldom Seen Photography are not responsible if weather conditions affect the workshop.
Cost
Workshop prices are fixed for groups of 1 to 4 people. Additional people can be added to a workshop for a supplemental fee of $500/person per day. Returning photographers enjoy a 10% discount.
- 1-day: $1,500
- 2-day: $2,850
- 3-day: $4,050
- 4-day: $5,100
- 5-day: $6,000
- additional days: $1,200 per day
* Lodging at the Paradise Lodge is highly recommended because it is in the heart of the park and just minutes away from many photo spots. However, reservations for the Lodge typically must be made up to 8 months in advance. Lodging in Packwood requires less advance notice, though it does fill up in summer, but the drive to Paradise takes an hour. Due to lodging constraints, arrangements for workshops at Mount Rainier should be made as far in advance as possible.