Mt Rainier NP Visitor Location Information
MPG V2.7, January 2010

Guide to Map
February 4, 2010

Advisories about Google map display and about the Carbon River Road.

The news for February are several things:
The weather is winter snowstorms at all elevations with occasional periods of clear, sunny weather;
The day and night temperatures are consistently cold, below 40 degrees at all elevations, or colder;
The people are far fewer and mostly on weekends and holidays, and mostly at Paradise.

February is when the weather is the dominant factor, especially as the snow accumulates on the higher elevations and down to the lower elevations, from about 5,000 feet to 3-4,000 feet through the month with the normal seasonal snow..

This means you really have to plan, get the most recent information, be prepared for quick and severe changes in the weather and conditions and be flexible with you plans and schedules. This includes the roads and trails where the NPS closes them, issues advisories or implements emergency rules.

Location Guide

Locations are catagorized as:

   Visitors Center, for information, restaurants, museums, and other tourist interests;

   Park Entrance, highway access to the different areas of the National Park;

   Campground, established campground for camping, campers and recreational vehicles;

   Highway, state highways through the National Park.

Access

The following is a summary of access to Mt. Rainier National Park from their Web page of the current conditions in the National Park. It summarizes the basic information in a simplier form, and you can go to the NPS Web page for more and detailed information. The locations are listed by their respective name on the above map.

Nisqually Entrance, is open to Paradise, weather permitting. The road is controlled at the gate just east of Longmire. Each day the road is checked and cleared of snow before the gate is open to uphill traffic. The gate closes to uphill traffic daily about 4 pm. The Westside Road is closed for the season.

The Paradise Valley Road is closed for the season. Sunshine Point Campground is permanently closed and the Cougar Rock campground is closed for the season. The Paradise Inn is closed until May. The Jackson Visitors Center is only open on weekends and holidays (10 am to 5 pm), weather permitting. The Mountain Guide Center is closed for the season.

The NPS requires that all vehicles carry chains during the winter in case of sudden changes in road conditions between Longmire and Paradise, or in extreme cases, from the Nisqually entrance. The NPS operates a chain up or chain removal area in the parking lot on the west side of the Nisqually Bridge, for time when 4WD vehicles or chains are required for the drive up to Paradise.

Carbon River Entrance, is open at the NP Boundary only to hikers and bikers to the Ipsut Campground. A backcountry permit is required for all overnight stays.

Mowich Lake Entrance, The road is closed to vehicles at the NP boundary and will not reopen until spring no matter the weather and conditions. The campground are open to hikers, skiers and snowshoers. A backcountry permit is required for all overnight stays.

Ohanapecosh Entrance, Highway 123 is closed at the southern (Ohanapecosh entrance) boundary. On occasion during the winter the Washington Department of Transportation may close highway 123 to the southern NP boundary at Highway 12 turnoff. The Ohanopecosh visitors center and campground are closed for the season. The Stevens Canyon Road between Paradise and the junction with highway 123 is closed for the season.

White River Entrance, Highway 410 is closed from Crystal Mountain Boulevard to the summit at Cayuse pass. The highway is closed from the summit to five miles east of Chinook pass, and will close farther east through the early winter. The highway east of Chinook pass is also under repair from a landslide on the Naches River. The White River road is closed for the season. The road to Sunrise and the Sunrise visitors facilities are closed for the season. The White River campground is closed for the season.

Resources

Additional information available from the NPS Website.

Please use the contact link to send e-mail.