Travel Tacoma – Mt. Rainier Tourism and Sports (Travel Tacoma) has released a new seasonal itinerary, called Relaxation at Rainier, with more than a dozen of points of interest and lodging options to help visitors decompress this winter. The itinerary is suited for painless planning of a getaway to Washington state’s most recognizable icon: Mount Rainier, and its surrounding communities.
The itinerary includes stops in the small towns of Sumner, Elbe, Eatonville, and Ashford in the shadow of Mount Rainier, plus a full day of exploring the national park itself in what many consider its prime season of beauty and solitude. This stop-by-stop guide is a roadmap to three days and two nights of recharging your metaphorical batteries. Visitors following the itinerary will discover a hushed book shop in Sumner; serene trails in Ashford, Eatonville and up at Mount Rainier, a winter trail ride on horses in Elbe and close encounters with some of the largest, most relaxed creatures in North America: the American Bison.
Fuel for such a quiet adventure not taken lightly, and culinary stops include the best, freshest blackberry pie in the state; an actual train dining car restaurant; small town, mom-and-pop diners and an authentic Ukrainian restaurant near Mount Rainier.
Lodging often sets the tone for any trip. The overnight experiences on Relaxation at Rainier center around that pinnacle of rustic winter luxury: the chilly bite of mountain air juxtaposed with the radiant warmth of fire. Fires in fireplaces in lodges. Fires in fire pits outside cabins. Fires underneath the cauldron you’re soaking in, as part of the Cannibal Hot Tub in Ashford.
“Just seeing the mountain in the distance is a stark reminder that some of the best things happen at an almost glacial pace,” said Matt Wakefield, chief marketing and data officer at Travel Tacoma. “We encourage visitors to slow down this winter and take the scenic route through rural Pierce County.”
More information about the Relaxation at Rainier itinerary is at www.traveltacoma.com.
