When hiking Mt. Rainier it is important to note two things. If your guide book says it will be a snowy trail until mid-July, it is probably true, even if it has been an unseasonably warm winter. Two, if you can't see Mt. Rainier when you leave, you certainly won't see it when you get there, in fact you may not see anything. The Mountain and the cloud are one, and once you're on it, you're in the cloud, and even a huge waterfall 15 feet away is nearly impossible to see.