Eager crowds have been swarming Mount Rainier National Park this week and officials expect that the visitor traffic will increase over the Fourth of July weekend. That influx of visitors has created long wait times at park entrance stations, heavy traffic on park roads and congested parking lots already.
As of Friday, most of the park’s facilities and roads were officially opened for the summer, including roads to popular locations such as Sunrise and Mowich Lake. However, Ricksecker Point will remain closed for the time being due to a road paving project between Longmire and Paradise.
“There are incredible experiences throughout the park and the surrounding areas,” said Randy King, Mount Rainier National Park superintendent, in a press release. “By planning your trip to avoid peak congestion times, you may find that you spend less time looking for parking and more time enjoying the park.”
In an effort to ease the wilderness overcrowding, officials are asking visitors to consider postponing their trips until weekdays. Officials also advise visitors to the national park to aim for early morning or late afternoon arrivals when entrance station waits are shorter and parking lots tend to be less chaotic.
A press release stated that officials at Mount Rainier National Park are working on additional ways to reduce traffic and wait times but those efforts are still in preliminary stages. Officials made sure to note that overflow parking is available at the Paradise Picnic Area and along Paradise Valley Road. When the parking lot at Sunrise reaches capacity newly arriving vehicles are held back at the White River Entrance Station until a parking space becomes available.
Additional park information including webcams and a complete list on the status of roads within the park is available online at www.nps.gov/mora.
