Mt Rainier Timed Entry Permits

[drm]

With long lines/waits to enter the park and full parking lots up high, Mt Rainier NP is starting a timed entry system this year to access Paradise and Sunrise. You will need to reserve an entry permit for $2 on recreation.gov that sets a two hour period on a specific day to enter either of the restricted corridors. The Carbon River entrance area and the SR 123 trailheads are not affected, and if you have a reserved permit for a backpacking trip or a campground inside the zones, you don't need the permit. I think early and late arrivers aren't affected either. The system starts May 24 on the south side and July 4 for the White River entrance to Sunrise.

All the details available at https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/ ... ations.htm

[Chip Down]

When I see how brilliantly our government bureaucrats manage natural resources and recreational sites, it fills me with optimism that they're fully prepared to address the immense challenges our country will face in coming decades.

[adamschneider]

A few key points to take note of; quotes are from their FAQ:

• "If you enter the park by vehicle before 7 am or after 3 pm, you do not need a reservation." (If you're coming from Portland, this means getting on the road by 4 am. Personally, I'd recommend spending the night on Skate Creek Road.)
• "There are two reservation booking windows: 90 days in advance or 7 pm Pacific Time the day prior to your visit." (So you either have to plan three months ahead, or hope for the best the night before. Nowhere do they say how many slots will be available, nor what the proportion will be of long-term vs. short-term slots.)
• "If you want to visit the park on multiple days this summer, you have to make a timed entry reservation for each day." (And you'd better hope you can find a cell phone signal at 7 pm to snag a reservation for your second day.)
• If you show up too late for your 2-hour slot, you're S.O.L. until 3 pm. (And if you show up too early, they'll make you wait.)

[Chip Down]

... "If you enter the park by vehicle before 7 am or after 3 pm, you do not need a reservation." (If you're coming from Portland, this means getting on the road by 4 am. Personally, I'd recommend spending the night on Skate Creek Road.)

Heck, I don't think I've ever entered MRNP later than 7am.
However, if your name happens to be Don Nelsen, this may not be an option.

[adamschneider]

Heck, I don't think I've ever entered MRNP later than 7am.

If I'm going to Paradise, I try to get in pretty early, but 7:00 is brutal unless I'm spending the night nearby.

[retired jerry]

I've been to Rainier, but there are so many people it's not my favorite

There aren't that many roads in so all the people are concentrated

Olympic National Park has a few less visitors (?) and a lot more routes in to spread them out

[drm]

Rainier is always difficult. It's small in comparison. Olympic NP is vastly larger. But Rainier does have some amazing trails, so it is worth the effort at least occasionally. And remember that there are some trails that are outside of this new system.

Rainier will never be a regular spot for me, but the goal is to put up with everything once a year. And when you know the place, you can plan around some of the challenges to a certain degree.

[gallione11]

My biggest annoyance lately is the lack of camping amenities. I swear the Longmire Inn used to have an Ice Cooler serviced by some company, but getting cooler ice has been hit or miss in the last couple years. Even worse is firewood. Giant shed full of bundles at Cougar Rock CG, but no staff, so you can go to the Longmire store and pay $14 a bundle for five logs or you're S out of luck. We ended up buying 5 bundles in Morton last year on our way up, only to get flagged down in the parking lot by someone telling us, "burn ban!'. (It was late July). They were wrong, but, just my biggest annoyance about camping there. It's one of my favorite places, but it feels like they are discouraging campers. (This isn't even getting into the multitude of closed off sites due to hazard trees. Yes Covid screwed things up a lot, but it's been 3-4 years now and you have federal funding. Fix that stuff, or raise the camping reservation price to get it fixed).