Short summer
A few weeks to bloom
Under snow about 9 monthsSnow-free. Flowers bloom and make seeds in just a few weeks.
One step.Decades to heal.
Wildflowers get a few weeks a year to grow. Stay on the trail and they keep coming back.
Tap the meadow to step. Try the trail, too.
Before you take the photo
Your selfie is evidence.
A photo taken in the flowers proves the flowers are gone. Take it from the trail and it looks even better.
Great shots from the trail
- Crouch low on the path so the flowers fill the front of your photo.
- Zoom in instead of stepping in. 2x or 3x does the walking for you.
- Put the mountain behind you and ask a friend to shoot from the trail.
- Go early or near sunset, when the light is soft.
Rangers say one person leaving the trail can seem minor, but the damage adds up when others follow, especially while chasing photos. FOX 13
Why the trail matters
Close to home
3% left
Only 3% of South Puget Sound's native prairie meadows are left. Every one we keep counts.
Who lives there
15 kinds of wildlife
10 butterflies3 birds1 mammal1 reptile
These animals need our help, and they depend on prairie meadows.
What one shortcut starts
A step
Each step off the trail can damage several plants.
National Park ServicePacked soil
Pressed-down ground can stop plants from growing at all.
Park ranger, FOX 13Decades
Trampled plants may never return. Scars can take decades to heal.
Mount Rainier National Park, KING 5Meet MeadowGuard
A friendly reminder, right when someone steps off the trail. Built by the NovaBots, a FIRST LEGO League team.
Sees
A camera watches the edge of the meadow.
Decides
An Arduino checks whether a person has left the trail.
Reminds
Lights glow around the sign and a voice asks them to please stay on the trail.
You can help in a minute
Walk the trailIt's built for your feet. The flowers stay for the next visitor.
Picnic on the pathBlankets, chairs and lunch belong on the trail or in a picnic area, not in the flowers.
Park in marked spotsBumpers and tires crush meadow plants too.
Tell a friendOne kind reminder keeps a whole meadow standing.
Be a meadow keeper
Every person who stays on the trail gives bees, butterflies and birds a meadow to come back to. Thank you.
It's also the rule. At Mount Rainier, leaving the trail in several meadow areas can bring a fine of up to $5,000. Rules differ by park. 2025 Superintendent's Compendium