Frommer's National Parks of the American West - Don Laine [277]
Additionally, the National Park Service wants visitors to be aware of some other risks: Mud flows, glacial outburst floods, and falling rocks are hazards that may be encountered here.
SEASONS & CLIMATE
Summer is the warmest and driest time of the year, with frequent fog banks rolling in late and early in the day, and temperatures ranging from the upper 40s to the low 80s (10s to mid-20s Celsius). The spring and fall are cool and drizzly, with occasional days of warm weather late in the spring and early in the fall. The greatest rainfall comes in January and December, with daytime temperatures in the 40s (10s Celsius). Weather generally gets colder and nastier the higher up you go, and there is lots of snow in the higher elevations. This snow can linger well into the summer, even at popular Paradise.
It's important that you dress in layers for a day visit, when you may encounter any type of weather. It can go from warm to cool very quickly as you climb in altitude. Rain can come in suddenly, so rain gear is a good precaution.
Park Highlights
Longmire, just inside the Nisqually Entrance, is the park's oldest developed area and the site of the historic hotel, which opened in 1899. Here you'll find the old Mount Rainier National Park Headquarters, now the National Park Inn, a year-round lodge and restaurant. There's also a museum, a general store, a wilderness information center, and a post office. Although it sounds as if this must be a small city, it is actually quite compact and rarely very crowded. Other important features of the area are the Trail of the Shadows, Historic District Walking Trail, and a Transportation Exhibit.
Paradise, in the south-central portion of the park, is a subalpine meadow and one of the most popular areas for visitors. Nearby you'll find the Jackson Visitor Center, the park's main visitor center, a gracefully curving stone and concrete structure that houses a snack bar and the only public showers in the park. Interesting exhibits on geology, glaciers, and the local flora and fauna are here. Paradise is also the site of the Paradise Inn, a historic mountain lodge that's undergoing extensive renovations.
Ohanapecosh, off Wash. 123 in the park's southeast corner, offers scenic views of the Ohanapecosh River near a small visitor center. Inside, look for exhibits focused primarily on the old-growth forest ecosystem that surrounds this area of the park. The 188-site Ohanapecosh Campground is here, as well as several good, short hikes.
At 6,400 feet, Sunrise, in the northeast part, is the highest point to which you can drive in the park. This is the second most popular spot in the park. You'll find displays and naturalist-led walks, a snack bar and restaurant, and interpretive programs on the subalpine and alpine ecosystems. You can also look at the glaciers up close with free telescopes. The visitor center here is open daily from July through mid-September, when the roadway is open.
The Carbon River area, in the northwest corner, provides access to the most heavily forested area in the park. The jury is still out as to whether the terrain is actually lowland forest or temperate rain forest. Check road conditions before visiting; this road is subject to washouts. Trails here lead into the backcountry and connect with the Wonderland Trail. A separate road (Wash. 165) reaches the Mowich Lake area, open to the lake in summer only.
If You Have Only 1 Day
Most folks who make Mount Rainier a day trip are coming from the Seattle area, and they work their way around from the southwest corner of the park, driving first through Longmire to Paradise, then Ohanapecosh, and on to Sunrise. But, Sunrise being named what it is, you might want to go the other way around to get the best daylight, in which case you'll want to enter on Wash. 410 at the park's northeast corner. If you're coming from the south or from Yakima, adjust your entry point and itinerary accordingly.