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."

CELEBRATE NATIONAL PARK WEEK – Come Visit Mount Rainier for Free!

Mount Rainier National Park Superintendent Randy King advises that April 21– 29 is designated as National Park Week across the nation.  In celebration of this week, the Secretary of the Interior has announced that admission to all National Parks will be free during that time.

The theme for the week is “Picture Yourself in a National Park”, so bring your cameras and make photo memories of your visit to Mount Rainier with over 17 feet of snow on the ground at Paradise. About 10 inches is on the ground at Longmire.  The snow play (sledding) area at Paradise has closed for the season and the ranger-led snow shoe walks have concluded. Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are still very popular activities during the Spring season.  Check with Rangers for current weather and avalanche conditions before heading out on your trip.

While many of the areas and roads at Mount Rainier still remain under winter snows, the southwest area of the park (State Route 706), including Longmire and Paradise is open.

The Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center at Paradise will be open daily during this period, offering visitor information, food service and gift shop.  A special Junior Ranger program will be given on Saturday, April 21 from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the visitor center.

The National Park Inn at Longmire is open year round providing overnight accommodations, dining and a gift shop – a great place for a getaway in early Spring.  The Carbon River area is currently snow free and provides a great opportunity for hikers and bicyclists.

The road from Longmire to Paradise is closed nightly at Longmire and reopens each day after the roads have been plowed and maintained.  If unusually heavy snowfall occurs or other conditions are present making the road unsafe, it may be closed to the public at any time.  Through April 30 park visitors must carry tire chains in their vehicles when traveling on park roads as Spring weather in the mountains is very unpredictable and sudden snow storms may necessitate chains for safe travel.

Local businesses in the gateway communities surrounding the park are also open and ready for the beginning of the 2012 visitor season.  For more information visit these websites:  www.visitrainier.com, www.mt-rainier.com, www.staycrystal.com, www.destinationpackwood.com,  www.minerallake.com, or www.mtrainierguestservices.com

The Skate Creek Road (Forest Service Road 52) which travels along the park’s southeastern boundary east of Ashford to Packwood is expected to open to the public on Friday, April 27.

"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."

Temporary Road Closure, Mt. Rainier National Park.

Press Relase:

The park road from Longmire to Paradise will remain closed to the public
today, January 23.  This is due to expanded air operations in the Paradise
area related to the ongoing search for four hikers/climbers who have been
missing for over a week. Weather conditions today are conducive to
conducting this aerial search, but this window of opportunity will likely
not last beyond today.  All available park and local resources are being
used to focus on this search.

Donna Rahier - Superintendent's Office
Mount Rainier National Park
360-569-6501
donna_rahier@nps.gov

Cascade foxes in Mt. Rainier National Park

Fox Research

Mount Rainier National Park has just begun a research project to assess
visitor impacts on Cascade foxes (Vulpes vulpes cascadensis). The Cascade
fox is a rare species currently known to inhabit only Mount Rainier and
Mount Adams.  Many of Mount Rainier’s Cascade foxes have learned to get
food from people, “begging” on roadways in the Paradise area, increasing
the risk to both foxes and humans.  The research will evaluate the
ecological impacts on these foxes as a result of human activities, and will
enable park managers to better manage visitor use and protect the foxes.
The study is a cooperative effort between Mount Rainier and the
USGS-Forestry and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center.

Visitors may see radio collars on some foxes.  These radio collars
automatically collect time and location information via GPS receivers,
similar to what is used in a car or on the trails.  Programmed to record
time and location at 3.5 hour intervals, the collars will provide a wealth
of information of how visitor use may alter the natural movements and
habits of foxes.

Mount Rainier has had a persistent problem with people continually feeding
the foxes, and this project is designed to better evaluate the behavioral
responses of the foxes to this illegal and damaging practice.  The
substantial ongoing efforts to educate the public and enforce no-feeding
laws will continue.   Results of this study will lead researchers to better
understand human impacts and develop new ways of protecting the foxes and
keeping our wildlife wild.

For more information, contact Mason Reid, Wildlife Ecologist at Mount
Rainier National Park, at 360-569-6771.

Randy King Named Superintendent

SAN FRANCISCO – Randy King has been selected as the new superintendent of Mount Rainier National Park, located approximately 85 miles southeast of Seattle, Washington.  King has been serving as acting superintendent of the park since July 17th.  He replaced Dave Uberuaga who was recently named superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.

“Randy’s charisma, leadership and park experience make him a triple threat and the natural choice for this selection.  Having served as both the acting superintendent and deputy superintendent, Randy is extremely familiar with the park, its partners and staff and has demonstrated success in building partnerships and solving problems.  We look forward to his continued guidance,” said Pacific West Regional Director Chris Lehnertz.

Over the course of his 34-year National Park Service career, King has served in six national parks and the Intermountain Regional Office.  King also participated in a six-month work exchange between the Alaska Region and Western Australia’s Department of Conservation and Land Management.  He
and his family lived in Denham, Western Australia where he served as the district operations officer for Shark Bay World Heritage Area and adjacent national parks.  Since 2003 he has worked as Mount Rainier’s deputy superintendent, which included a 15-month detail as acting superintendent in 2009-2010.  King is a graduate of Michigan State University where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Park and Recreation Resources.  He and his wife, Sally, and their three children, Mackenzie, Dylan and Skylar, now make their home in Eatonville, Washington.

"From a resources standpoint – both natural and cultural – Mount Rainier is an incredible unit of our national park system.  It is a park beloved by generations of visitors, served by dedicated and talented employees, volunteers and concession operators; and strongly supported by its partners and gateway communities.  For all of these reasons, and many more, I am grateful for the privilege to serve this great park as superintendent,” said King upon hearing of his selection.

Mount Rainier National Park was designated as the nation’s fifth national park when President William McKinley signed a bill that was passed by Congress on March 2, 1899.  The boundaries of the park encompass 235,625 acres of forests, meadows and mountains, with 97 percent of the park designated as wilderness and the remaining three percent being part of the National Historic Landmark District.  Mount Rainier, the focal point of the park, is a large volcanic peak that rises to 14,410 feet, towering far
above any other peak in the North Cascade mountain range.
                                  -NPS-

Historic Chinook Pass Entrance Arch Restoration Nears Completion

  The Chinook Pass Entrance Arch, as drawn by the staff of the Historic American Engineering Record.

Mount Rainier park craftsmen have completed the year-long restoration work on the Chinook Pass Entrance Arch, a unique historic structure in the National Park system.  Spanning across the Mather Memorial Parkway (SR 410) at 5,432 feet in elevation on the eastern boundary of the park, the arch
was designed as both an entrance portal and an equestrian overpass, to convey hikers and riders on the Pacific Crest Trail.  Built in 1936 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Rustic Style arch had deteriorated due to the elements and nearly eight decades of use.  The final phase will take place on Monday, August 22, when the log stringers will be put in place.

The restoration project replaced inkind all of the deteriorated parts of the structure, including replacement of the log stringers that support the bridge deck and repair of the stone masonry abutments.  Deteriorated components of the arch were removed last season, including the log stringers and masonry to prepare for replacement.  Replacement logs were shaped and fitted according to National Park Service standards over the winter, in preparation for installation this summer.

The entrance will remain open, but visitors traveling on State Route 410 are advised that short traffic delays will occur as the logs are put in place.

When the project is complete, there should be no discernible changes for visitors, except the remarkable structure will be in good condition for another 80 years of service!

                                  -NPS-

Rehabilitation of 10 miles of Stevens Canyon Road Planned in 2011, 2012 and 2013

Mount Rainier National Park News Release
Mount Rainier National Park Acting Superintendent Randy King and Federal Highway Administration, Western Federal Lands Highway Division officials announce that Phase 1 of the planned rehabilitation of  Stevens Canyon Road was awarded to MidMountain Contractors, Inc. of Kirkland, WA for $2,322,367.90 with a Notice to Proceed issued for project start on Monday, August 15, 2011 and a contract completion date of October 30, 2011.

The National Park Service prepared an Environmental Assessment and a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), which was approved by the Pacific West Regional Director on July 1, 2010.  The FONSI calls for the 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.  Segment 1 begins at the Nisqually Paradise Road intersection and extends east for 4.83 miles to the Stevens Creek Bridge. Segment 4 begins at the Backbone Ridge Viaduct (just east of the Backbone Ridge Viewpoint) and continues for 5.26 miles to the intersection with Washington State Route (SR) 123.

Ten sites in Segment 1 and 35 sites in Segment 4 have been identified as needing subsurface stabilization to halt roadway embankment creep that has resulted in surface tension cracks and appreciable horizontal and vertical displacement. Two of the 10 sites in Segment 1 require full roadway embankment replacement down to 22 foot depth and retaining/guard wall replacements.  Most of the 35 sites in Segment 4 require either ¾- width or full road embankment replacement down to 5 foot depth, some of which require retaining/guard wall replacements.

Due to the scope of the extensive roadway embankment stabilization efforts, it will be necessary to close the east end (Segment 4) of Stevens Canyon Road from the gate located just west of the Grove of the Patriarchs (see attached map) to just east of the popular Backbone Ridge Viewpoint from September 6, 2011 to the end of the contract period on October 30, 2011. Pending weather conditions, the roadway will likely be shut down for the winter season upon project completion. The contractor will also be doing subsurface compaction grouting in both road segments to stabilize the roadway in 2011.  Visitors will be able to access the Reflection Lakes area, Box Canyon and Backbone Ridge Viewpoint area and adjacent trailheads from the west during the 2011closure period.


Under a separate contract yet to be advertised, Phase 2 will take place during the 2012 and 2013 seasons, which will involve subsurface stabilization work on the west end (Segment 1) and require closure from just east of the Paradise Valley Road to the Box Canyon Area immediately following Labor Day 2012 to when the road is shut down for the winter. The contractor will also be repairing the tunnel walls at milepost 6.9 and 8.5 during the closure period.  During this period, visitors will be able to access up to the Box Canyon area from the east.  From approximately June 2012 to just before Labor Day 2012 the contractor will be conducting work in both segments, at which time visitors should anticipate 20 minute delays Mondays through Fridays.

During the 2013 season, the contractor will focus on drainage improvements, repair/stabilization and reconstruction of historic rock retaining walls, milling/recycling the asphalt surface as road base; and resurfacing with new hot-mix asphalt which will be accomplished while the roadway is open to the public. At this time visitors should again anticipate 20 minute delays Mondays through Fridays until project completion estimated in September, 2013.

Stevens Canyon Road connects the east and west side 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 2011 & 2012 closure periods, visitors are encouraged to access the Paradise area from the southwest via the Nisqually Entrance at 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 have two detour options:  Via Gifford Pinchot National Forest Service Road 52 (Skate Creek Road) beginning on US 12 in Packwood and ending on SR 706 east of Ashford; or the longer route via SR 7 beginning in Morton on US 12 and ending on SR 706 at Elbe (see attached map).

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.  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.

                                  -NPS-

Night Sky Programs Aug 5 and Beyond!

Star Party and Night Skies Program at Paradise: 9:00 PM, Friday August 5, 2011.

Families and individuals of all ages are invited to the Paradise area of Mount Rainier National Park for a special program on Friday, August 5. The event starts at 9:00 PM in the lobby of the Paradise Inn with a short presentation about the National Park Service “Night Skies” program.  The National Park Service has come to embrace night skies as one of the many scenic vistas the agency is a steward of. It is essential to keeping a park whole and touches on almost every aspect that is important to us - from
sustainability to stargazers, and animals to ancient ruins.

At 9:45 PM there will be outdoor star gazing in front of the Paradise Jackson Visitor Center with Tacoma Astronomical Society (TAS) volunteers and their telescopes. Astronomy Society volunteers will also assist  with special children's astronomy activities.  All ages will be able to make astronomy devices called "star finders."

If weather makes star gazing difficult, the party will move inside the Paradise Inn lobby for a 45-minute film about the Milky Way galaxy.

Night Sky viewing at the park through Labor Day

Visitors are also invited to join Mount Rainier volunteer astronomer-interpreter Don West-Wilke for night sky viewing Thursdays through Sundays through Labor Day.  Don and his unique telescope will help visitors see the night sky (weather permitting) beginning at 10 PM at the following park locations:
Thursdays: Longmire Plaza in front of the National Park Inn
Fridays: Plaza in front of the Paradise Jackson Visitor Center
Saturdays: Plaza in front of the Paradise Jackson Visitor Center
Sundays: Backbone Ridge pull-out along Steven's Canyon Road
Mondays: Plaza in front of the Paradise Jackson Visitor Center

If you have questions please contact Park Ranger Curt Jacquot at (360) 569-2211, extension 6577.

Information about the Tacoma Astronomy Society is found online at: http://www.tas-online.org/

General park information is available at www.nps.gov/mora  or by calling 360-569-2211.


                                  -NPS-