Ashford Area Dining and Hiking Guide

Summer 2025 Ashford Restaurants: The Copper Creek Inn: It is on HW 706 about 2 miles before the park entrance. I can highly recommend the food and service based on many, many visits! Closed Tuesday & Wednesday. Whittaker Mountaineering: Located in the town of Ashford, this is a year-round coffee shop. Excellent espresso and some breakfast and lunch item. They also have ice cream. Paradise Village: Just East of Ashford on HW 706 Paradise Village offers Breakfast, Lunch and dinner. Delicious! Longmire Inn: Inside the park, about a 15-minute drive is the Longmire Inn Restaurant. Wonderful food, vegetarian and vegan options as well. Open Breakfast, lunch and dinner all week. Whittaker Basecamp: They have a variety of food from vegan wraps to great pizza, salads and burger. Beer and Wine. Very cool atmosphere; located at the Whittaker’s Mountaineering base camp in Ashford. Indoor and outdoor seating. Paradise Visitor Center: At Paradise you will a cafeteria style restaurant inside the visitor center, as well as a fine dining restaurant inside the Paradies Inn. You might want to look into making reservation for dinner at the Paradise inn. Phone # 360-569-2411. Gorgeous lobby and dining room here, and it’s magical to stroll the Paradise area at sunset. EATONVILLE DINING OPTIONS: If you are willing to drive about 30 minutes you will have more options for restaurants here. Mill House Cider Company: A new cider/beer/wine venue with some great food. Sometimes has live music, very pretty outdoor space. I highly recommend this place!! Amazing space, people and food! Bruno’s: Great food with a huge selection. We stop here often for dinners after working on the cabins. Makes everyone happy, but not many vegan options. Cruiser Café: Basic (but delicious) burgers and fries. Think old school drive in food. Shaken: A fancier dinner option that sometimes has live music! Gypsy Wagon Espresso: Excellent coffee house that has been doing a great job of getting me through the day for 20 years😊! Puerto Vallarta Mexican Restaurant: Great Mexican food and atmosphere

Morton Dining Options: AND BOWLING!!! (about 30 minutes away)
Milltown Smokehouse: This place has amazing BBQ and many other delicious options. Rather fancy for a bowling alley, this place was just overhauled so it’s all brand new. I highly recommend as a fun place for the whole family to get drinks and dinner and bowl a few games. Papa Bears Restaurant and Lounge: Delicious home style dining and PIE! Papa Oso’s: Family full service Mexican restaurant ASHFORD STORES: There are two stores in town, generally open until 8pm. They sell a little of everything, but not fresh meat and produce. To stock up on groceries you should stop on your way in or visit the nearby towns of Morton or Eatonville for full-service grocery stores. This town closes up quickly in the winter, so be sure to grab what you need by 7 or 8 pm. There is no gas in the park, so the Ashford gas station is the last gas station on the HW. Other Necessities: Post office: located next to the General Store in town
Eatonville or Morton are the closest towns if you need a liqueur store, drug store or fresh groceries, or laundromat.
There is a hospital in Morton

HIKING GUIDE ASHFORD AND MT. RAINIER

SUMMER 2025 UPDATES: No times entry reservation required this summer, 2025, for Paradise. If you decide to go to Sunrise (the other side of the park) you will need reservations in summer. Great Day Hikes in Mt. Rainier National ParkDirections to all hikes can be found online by searching the name or looking that the Mt. Rainier National Park Website. Most hikes are accessible only June – October. Snowshoes or crampons for your boots are recommended November – July 1st. We still have some snow up high in June.Paradise Area:Bench and Snow Lakes:This 2.6-mile (round trip) hike is moderate and perfect for kids. It culminates in a gorgeous alpine lake you can jump in if you are brave. It’s so clear you can see the trout swimming from the rocks above.The Skyline Trail at Paradise: This is a great family hike. You can hike all or parts of this trail, and it affords a beautiful look at the mountain and the alpine area all year! This 5.5-mile trail is for those in moderate hiking condition. The views are worth the hike! You can see the cascades in all their glory from the vista of this trail. I have seen more wildlife on this trail than any other from bears to mountain goats to whistling marmots. This starts at Paradise Visitor Center where the trail is paved and easy for strolling, remember you can turn around anytime, so this is a great place to just go for a walk if you’re not up for a big hike. There are several different routes and side trails along this loop which keeps it interesting. You are up high on this one, be prepared for changing conditions.Near Sunrise Visitor Center:The best hike in the park in my opinion! Palisades Lakes trail. You hit 7 alpine lakes on this trip. All your ascending is done at the very end of the hike, so save some energy. If you want to shorten the hike, there is a great place to picnic or jump in at the 4th lake. Don’t miss Tom, Dick, and hairy lakes off to your left as your hiking. You could go 7 miles round trip, but you can catch 4 lakes just by going 3.5 miles. We saw a Momma bear and her cub on this hike summer of 2018....very special. In the fall you are very likely to hear Elk calling in the mornings and evenings.The Freemont Peek Hike is also a favorite. We tend to see a lot of wildlife in this area, squirrels, deer, mountain goats, and whistling marmots primarily. This can be done with the Burroughs Mountain hike as well, or in a loop back to the visitor’s center. Dege Peak: For the very best views, this short easy hike at Paradise will lead you to the top of a peak that offers 360 view of Mt. Rainier, Paladades Lakes, and Mt. Adams. Amazing near sunset or sunrise. Listen for Bugling Elk in the Fall.Grand Park Via Lake Eleanor: For those who want a quieter hike with less traffic look this up online. Starts in the National Forest off HW 410 (outside of Enumclaw, Greenwater area). Quickly crosses the Mt. Rainier National Park boundary and goes up to Lake Eleanor (bear country). Pass the lake and end up in a vast high alpine meadow that goes on for miles. This hike is an 8-mile round trip, but can also be hiked from paradise as a 13 mile hike.Ohanapacosh Area:Grove of the Patriarchs:CURRENTLY CLOSED DUE TO FLOOD DAMAGE. This is a short 1-mile hike where you can see incredible giants of the forest. Perfect for kids. Lots of shade. THIS IS THE BUSIEST TRAIL IN THE PARK. Go early to avoid crowds and lines.Silver Falls Hike: Opens earlier than other hikes, AKA snow free in the late spring. This starts at Ohanapacosh Campground. Walks a 3-mile loop along the Ohanapacosh River to the gorgeous Silver Falls. Best in spring or early summer as the falls will be impressive. Easy for families. Very pretty any time of year. The parking lot fills up quickly, so go early or take an evening hike. Can be accessed by several routes before the park roads open in summer. You can get there from Packwood, via HW 12 or Skate Creek Road. PET FRIENDLY HIKES, OUTSIDE THE PARKNear Ashford there are some great hikes in the National Forest where you can take your pet.Cora Lake: 1.5 miles, 400-foot elevation gain (easy to moderate). The highest point is 3,800 feet, so you can hike this earlier in the season when the snow makes it hard to hike higher up. Beautiful mountain lake. High Rock Lookout: 3.2 miles, 1,300-foot elevation gain. A little harder hike begins around 4,000 feet, so only accessible in the summer months unless you want to snowshoe. Gorgeous views! Sheep Lake: (2-hour drive) Off HW 410 near the top of Chinook pass, this hike is a drive from our area, but a beautiful one. Easy hike. To make it longer continue the PCT to Crystal Lakes. William O Douglas Wilderness and Norse Peak Wilderness areas are beautiful places here, just outside the park to explore. Summer only, as the road is closed all winter.

ACTIVITIES BESIDES HIKING

Bowling: Mill Town Smokehouse in Morton (also amazing BBQ) NW Trek Wildlife Park: Open Zoo consisting of all our native animals. Great for kids. In winter only open on weekends. Summer all week. Alder Lake: Kayaking, Paddle boarding and swimming. Kayak Rental available in summer. There are several beaches and campground to access the lake along HW 7 West of Elbe. EZ Times Horseback Rides in Elbe Sculpture Park in Ashford Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad in Elbe For a scenic drive head up to Paradise or take the Steven's Canyon Road over to the Ohanapacosh Area. Packwood is a nice stop for lunch. You can return the same route or take Skate Creek Road for a different view. Give yourself 2 hours each way so you can stop and see the sights.