UPDATE: Rehabilitation of 10 miles of Stevens Canyon Road in 2012 and 2013 Phase 2 Effort

Mount Rainier National Park Superintendent Randy King and Federal Highway Administration, Western Federal Lands Highway Division officials announced last May that Phase 2 of the planned rehabilitation of 10 miles of Stevens Canyon Road was awarded to Tucci and Sons, Inc. of Tacoma, WA for $8,910,093.23 with a Notice to Proceed issued for project start on May 29, 2012 and a contract completion date of September 17, 2013. 
 
Work is progressing well and involves resurfacing, restoration, and rehabilitation of the Stevens Canyon Road and other related facilities, including bridges, tunnels, culverts, guard walls, retaining walls, turnouts and the short Wonderland Trail section adjacent to Reflection Lake. The improvements will occur along two segments of the road, totaling 10.09 miles of the 19 mile road. 

• Up until September 4, visitors should anticipate 20-minute delays, Monday – Friday, through each of two segments of roadwork on Stevens Canyon Road.
• Beginning the week of July 16 and until mid-September while rehabilitating the Ohanapecosh and Falls Creek Bridges, located on the east end of the project (Segment 4), one-lane alternating traffic will be implemented as the contractor performs repair work.  A traffic control light system will be in place at both bridge sites to regulate alternating traffic during non-work hours.  During work hours (7am to 5pm Mondays – Fridays) and peak traffic weekend periods (10am to 5pm), active traffic control flagging will be implemented to facilitate traffic flow.
• Bicyclists and motorcyclists are particularly encouraged to travel cautiously through the construction zones where gravel surfaces will periodically be encountered.
• From September 4, 2012 until winter closure, Stevens Canyon Road will be closed to through traffic (for both vehicles and bicycles)  from just east of the intersection with the Paradise Valley Road to the east end of the tunnel at Box Canyon.
• Visitors will be able to access Backbone Ridge, Box Canyon and adjacent trailheads via the East Entrance near State Route 123 during the 2012 closure. Wonderland Trail hikers as well as day hikers will be permitted to hike through the construction zone to access adjacent trails.
• Stevens Canyon roadwork is scheduled to extend until mid September 2013, although no closures are anticipated during the 2013 season.

Stevens Canyon Road connects the east and west sides of the park, extending for 19 miles from SR 123 at the east end to intersection with the Nisqually to Paradise Road at the west end, two miles south of Paradise. During the 2012 closure period, visitors are encouraged to access the Paradise area from the southwest via the Nisqually Entrance at the east end of SR 706.  Visitors traveling from the east via SR 410, SR 123, and/or US 12 who wish to visit the Paradise area are encouraged to seek alternate routes.

While the construction and associated closures and traffic delays present an inconvenience, the rehabilitation work will not only improve the driving surface of the roadway, but ensure its longevity.

Updated information on this project may be obtained by calling Mount Rainier National Park at 360-569-2166. Information on this project, as well as general park information, is also available on Mount Rainier National Park’s website www.nps.gov/mora/parknews/newsreleases.htm.

###

NOTE:  Drivers can now get real time traffic and weather information by dialing 5-1-1 from most cell phones. This new traveler information system builds upon the highly successful Washington State Highway hotline that manages 4.6 million calls each year. Plan to call prior driving to the park, as cell phone coverage is minimal within the park. Callers can also use 5-1-1 to get statewide construction, mountain pass conditions, and state ferry system information, as well as toll free numbers for passenger rail and airlines. TTY users can call 1-800-833-6388.

New Closure Posted for Comet Falls Trail

Visitors to Mount Rainier National Park are advised that a new closure is in effect on the Comet Falls Trail from approximately ¼ mile below Comet Falls to the River crossing above Comet Falls in Van Trump Park.  This closure is due to an abundant amount of avalanche debris in the Van Trump drainage, making the trail dangerous and creating extremely hazardous river crossings.  A fall through hidden pockets in the snow could be fatal (see photo).

'Wildflower Watch 2012' Begins!

Mt.Rainier, WA.- Why should the first flakes of snow or the first shipments of Copper River salmon get all the attention around here?  The Mt. Rainier area was just voted "Best Wildflower Spot in The United States" and Visit Rainier is making it as easy as possible for folks to enjoy them.  Let "Wildflower Watch 2012" begin!

"It is an exciting honor to have the number one wildflower site in America right here in our own backyard," said Mary Kay Nelson, Executive Director of Visit Rainier.  "Now that the webcams at Sunrise are operating, there is yet another way to enjoy the beauty of wildflower season."

The designation was awarded by Bob Gibbons, author of "Wildflower Wonders:  The 50 Best Wildflower Sites in the World".  Princeton University Press, $27.95.

The Wildflower and Wildlife section on Visit Rainier's website provides links to wildflower status reports, telling folks what is blooming and where; it provides a list of the Top 10 wildflower hikes around the mountain; it offers an online wildflower identification guide, and it links to 12 webcams around the mountain.

In addition, Visit Rainier Tweets and posts wildflower viewing information to Facebook regularly, so visitors know where to go to take great pictures. 

"Wildflower season is so exciting because different flowers bloom at different elevations around the mountain at different times," said Nelson.  "A person could make several trips throughout the season, from July till snow falls again in October, and see something new every time.  The wildflower growing period is a speedy process at the high elevations.  Flowers emerge, grow, bloom and go to seed in rapid succession, all in an effort to perpetuate their existence." 

While many think of mesmerizing images on trails such as the Skyline Trail at Paradise or Summerland on the route to Sunrise, there are also several spots folks can experience acres of wildflowers without even having to leave the car.  The meadows around Tipsoo Lake at the top of Chinook Pass are easy to view from the road, as are the meadows surrounding the Sunrise and Paradise areas on Mt.Rainier.  Crystal Mountain Resort's Mt.Rainier gondola can whisk visitors up to 6,872 feet and put them in the heart of wildflower meadows.  Any of these sites are a good option for folks of all ages, and physical abilities. 

For more information on all there is to see and do at Mt. Rainier and its surrounding communities, visit www.visitrainier.com.

Visit Rainier is a not-for-profit, non-membership destination marketing organization that promotes tourism in the gateway communities around Mt. Rainier.