MOUNT RAINIER SPRING/SUMMER OPENING SCHEDULE

With warmer, sunny days becoming a little more frequent in the Northwest now, it seems Spring has officially arrived and Summer is not far behind.  However, at Mount Rainier snow still blankets the slopes (15 feet at Paradise) and roadways.  The Spring melt is beginning and park Road Crews are cutting their way through the snowed-in roadway at Stevens Canyon.  This is still a great time of year to visit the park, to view the amazing snowpack, to cross-country ski or snowshoe.  Be sure to check on conditions with park staff before going – spring avalanches can be deadly.

Paradise Inn Opens May 18 - On Friday, May 18, the historic Paradise Inn opens its doors to welcome visitors for the 2012 season.  Constructed in 1916, the Inn showcases a beautiful lobby and dining room featuring hand painted hanging lamps depicting park wildflowers, three huge stone fireplaces to welcome guests, 118 guest rooms, a café, and gift shop with authentic Native American arts and crafts.  A full service dining room offers Northwest cuisine.  The Inn is listed as a National Historic Landmark.

In addition to the Paradise Inn, the National Park Inn at Longmire is also open for visitors.  The National Park Inn offers 25 guests rooms, a cozy fireside room for guests to enjoy, full service restaurant, general store and gift shop.

Both inns are operated by Mount Rainier Guest Services, Incorporated. Reservations can be made on line at www.mtrainierguestservices.com  or by telephone at 360-569-2275.

Businesses in the gateway communities surrounding the park are also open daily providing lodging, meals, gifts, equipment rentals, horseback riding, fishing, special events and a variety of other needs to park visitors. Information on these businesses is available on the internet at
www.visitrainier.com, www.mt-rainier.com, www.staycrystal.com,
www.destinationpackwood.com or www.minerallake.com.


CURRENT STATUS AND PROJECTED OPENING DATES:
Note:  These dates are projected and may be subject to change depending on conditions.

ROADS:

•   Stevens Canyon Road                                 May 25 @ 8:00 a.m.
•   SR 410 to SR 123 over Cayuse Pass            Open
•   White River Road to Campground lot         May 25
•   Sunrise Road                                               June 22 @ 8:00 a.m.
•   Mowich Lake Road                                     June 29 @ 8:00 a.m.
•   Skate Creek Road (USFS Road 52)            Open
•   Chinook Pass                                               May 25
•   Westside Road                                             Open to Dry Creek

Road Construction:

Stevens Canyon Road:  Road construction repair work will be occurring on two sections of the Stevens Canyon Road throughout the summer.  Work will be Monday through Friday until Labor Day - 20-minute delays should be anticipated at each section.  After Labor Day the road will be closed to all traffic from just east of the intersection with the Paradise Valley Road to east end of the tunnel at Box Canyon for the remainder of the season,  Visitors will still be able to access Box Canyon via the East Entrance.  During closure period, the road will be closed to through traffic for both vehicles and cyclists.

SR 123:  A micro-surfacing  treatment will be applied on the roadway from MP 6.8 to MP 13.8 (Cayuse Pass) from August 6 to August 17, 2012 with 20-minute delays anticipated.    In addition, replacement of a failed deep culvert at MP 10.6 will take place in mid- to late September.  It is anticipated that the work will take 2-days to accomplish and due to the depth of the culvert a road closure will be necessary.  A press release will be issued prior to the closure.

Longmire:
Longmire Museum:  Open daily - 9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. through June 30.  9:00 a.m. -5:00 p.m. July 1-September 3
Longmire Wilderness Information Center:  Open daily -7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
National Park Inn: Open daily year round

Cougar Rock:
Cougar Rock Campground:  May 25
Cougar Rock Picnic Area:  May 25

Paradise:
Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center:  Open daily -10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. (until May 17)
Paradise Inn:  May 18 to June 15 -10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
                       June 16 to September 2 – 10:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.

Ohanapecosh:
Ohanapecosh Campground                    May 25
Ohanapecosh Visitor Center                  May 25–May 28 -10 a.m.-5 p.m. (Fri.,
                                                               Sat. Sun., Mon.)
                                                               June 2-3 (Sat., Sun.)
                                                               June 9-September 2 – 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.

White River:
White River Road to Campground lot            May 25
White River Campground                               June 29

Sunrise:
Sunrise Lodge (snack bar & gift shop)         June 29
Sunrise Visitor Center                                  June 29

Carbon River:
Ranger Station                              Open year round - Call for hours -
360-829-9639


For additional information visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/mora or call 360-569-2211. "You can connect to Mount Rainier National Park through our social media pages. Join the Mount Rainier community on Facebook, find out breaking news and road status updates through Mount Rainier's Twitter feed, explore the park and behind-the-scenes operations with our videos on YouTube, and share you own photos of Mount Rainier with other visitors in the Mount Rainier Flickr group."