Trip Report: Summer Crowds At Mount Rainier

You always hear about the “park experience” when visiting a unit of the National Park System. How good that experience is depends upon a number of factors, particularly if you are planning a trip to Mount Rainier National Park in Washington State.

While I’m not directly reporting from the park as you read this, I was in the park on Saturday, July 19th, so I can give you an indication of what you might experience if visiting Mount Rainier this summer.

I live about 2-1/2 hours’ drive from the park. I already knew I would be driving up to the Sunrise area and I knew it would probably be too late to get an early morning timed entry reservation, which is required for Sunrise from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the summer. So, I left home at 2 a.m. to get up to the park in time to (hopefully) snag a parking spot and get to one of my favorite places to photograph sunrise at Sunrise.

Arriving around 4:30 a.m. I discovered an almost completely full parking lot. At 4:30 a.m.? I guess others had the same idea I had – that, or else they simply spent the night in the parking lot from the previous day. That’s a no-no, by the way, but there are now fewer park rangers to patrol the area. As I huffed and puffed up the trail, I wondered about those people who had timed entry reservations. If the parking lot was already full prior to 7 a.m., they were going to have one heck of a time finding a spot for their vehicle.

I managed to make it on my desired trail in time for some lovely blue hour and sunrise photos of “The Mountain” before hiking onward.

The Fremont Fire Lookout Trail began looking like a Grand Central Station of hikers both coming and going. The Burroughs Mountain Trail was less crowded but I think that was due to lingering snow and ice patches along the trail. The Berkeley Park Trail was also filling with hikers. The Frozen Lake Trail, which is essentially a wheel spoke gathering spot for accessing the other aforementioned trails, grew more crowded by late morning. Just a reminder that summer is peak season in the park and Sunrise is a popular place.

By 1 p.m. I’d decided I was finished with Sunrise, but since I was in the park, I might as well check out the Paradise area and capture construction photos for my editor.

Folks, if you intend to use State Route 123 for the Stevens Canyon Entrance, be aware of road construction extending about 2.8 miles (4.5 kilometers), according to the park’s webpage. The road is rough and gravelly. During the week, you may also have wait times of at least 30 minutes (or more). I drove there on a Saturday, so there were no construction workers. Nonetheless, going was slow because of the road condition. 

Despite the relatively short line at the Stevens Canyon fee station, the wait was still a little long as people paid to enter. If you intend to visit more than just one park during the year, I highly recommend an annual America The Beautiful Pass. You may still have to wait in line, but once you are at that fee window, you just show them your pass and your I.D. and then you are on your way. FYI, if you must pay a fee entrance, they only accept debit or credit. Mount Rainier is a cashless park.

Do you need a timed entry reservation to enter the park’s west side? No. According to Park Staff:

The park's Paradise Corridor timed entry pilot will be paused in 2025 due to major construction projects and closures that make implementation of a timed entry reservation system challenging from both a public access and operational perspective. These include:

• A full year closure of the Ohanapecosh Campground.
• State Route (SR) 123 roadway rehabilitation project on a 2.8 mile section involving single-lane closures with 20-30 minute traffic delays and a full closure from September 2-30, 2025, to install two large box culverts.
• Pavement preservation throughout the west side of the park that will include rolling single lane closures and delays of 30-45 minutes throughout the summer including Nisqually Entrance to Paradise, Paradise Valley, and Stevens Canyon roads.

As soon as I drove past the Stevens Canyon Entrance fee booth, I noticed all the nearby parking areas and pullouts were jam-packed. Along the way up to Box Canyon, things were less crowded until I hit Box Canyon. The parking lot there was packed and people were even sitting in lounge chairs out in the parking lot. From then onward, all pullouts (no matter how small) and parking areas were totally full. The popular Bench and Snow Lake trailhead parking lot was full and people were parking along the shoulderless roadside. At Reflection Lakes, the parking lot was full and one car had precipitously parked on the other side (no shoulder) with enough of their vehicle sticking into the road that my own 4Runner’s brake warning beeped.

And then the fun started. Stevens Canyon Road ends at the turnoff to Paradise (right turn) or Longmire and the Nisqually Entrance (left turn). I turned right to immediately see one of those large digital signs indicating construction up at Paradise. It wasn’t even a fourth of a mile later, I met up with a line of vehicles. Driving was stop and go. 

After 25 minutes of this, I reached the Paradise picnic area and a sign indicating the large overflow lot prior to the the visitor center parking was full. Inching forward, I could see cars slowly circling that overflow lot in an attempt to catch someone vacating the area. I also saw cars from the lot turning into the same line in which I waited to head up to the visitor center and Paradise Inn. I don’t know why they would do that, since I’m certain there was no parking up there. Oh, and all along the Valley Road down from the Paradise Inn, vehicles were parked on both sides. I know there are pullouts along there, but the road has no shoulders in between those pullouts, if I recall.

Since I knew I would not be able to park up at Paradise to get photos of their pavement reconstruction/rehabilitation project for the Traveler, I found a wide spot in the road to turn around and head back out of the park. Along the way back down, I watched my odometer. There was a ¾-mile-long (1.2 kilometers) line of cars waiting to get up to Paradise, with more cars joining that line. Along the way back down Stevens Canyon Road, I saw all those other cars, trucks, and vans who might eventually want to check out Paradise. They had no idea what awaited them.

I know. I sound like a total grouch. But I’m being honest here. Fewer rangers to patrol things and protect the people from the park and the park from the people; larger crowds; no parking; people doing stupid things either through ignorance or just because.

My ultimate takeaways from this experience:

• The timed entry reservation system apparently works well at Sunrise. As I passed the White River Entrance fee booth, there was no line of vehicles waiting to enter. Prior to implementation of this pilot program, there would be a line of cars for at least 1/4th mile or longer waiting to gain entry.
   
• If you intend to visit Mount Rainier National Park, please check out the Alerts And Conditions page on their website. Of course, it’s one thing to just read about construction work, and it’s another thing to experience it. Bring your patience, snacks, water/Gatorade, and something to keep the kids occupied.
   
• If you don't have a timed entry reservation or don't want to get one, then leave really, really, really early in the morning to snag a parking spot at your desired destination. Granted, even if you do possess a timed entry reservation, this does not necessarily guarantee a parking spot.
   
• Please don’t park on the shoulderless road, trusting people won’t hit you. Drivers are generally busy gaping in amazement at The Mountain or the wildflowers or the waterfalls and they may very well not see you.
   
• Thinking of bicycling up to Paradise or Sunrise? That’s madness (IMO). But if you choose to do so, get started early – like prior-to-sunrise early to avoid cars on the shoulderless road filled with drivers who may not notice you. Wear bright, reflective clothing and maybe use a blinking bike light. Don't forget your bike helmet. I did see cyclists wending their way up to the Sunrise area (I didn’t see any along Paradise) and this was around 1 p.m. which seemed to be a late start, to me.
   
• Drive the posted speed limits or even slower – especially around crowded areas. People were taking off across the road without even watching for oncoming cars. I noticed one kid not looking while crossing the road only to have their friend/relative/parent jerk the child back by the shoulder.
   
• If you have found a parking spot, where ever that is, you might even want to stay there for the day – particularly if you found that spot up at the Sunrise or Paradise lots. Then your park experience will be better, despite the crowds.
   
• Please don’t litter. Pack out what you pack in. I picked up all sorts of things along the trails that I stuffed in my back photo vest pockets. Parking at a pullout to photograph the wildflowers, I saw used toilet paper. Picked that stuff up with gloved hands and shoved it into a trash bag in my car. C’mon people! Do better! 

My day was mixed. I enjoyed my hike and captured some wonderful photos, but I’m not too certain I’ll be returning to Mount Rainier National Park anytime soon … although it might be interesting to check out the state of affairs during the peak Perseids meteor shower August 12th and 13th. If I can manage to get a parking space.