Mount Rainier National Park National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Visitor Update|Spring 2021

What You Need to Know Longmire to Paradise: Day Trip • Masks are required in all buildings, For snow-free hiking in late Resort. Trail of the Shadows begins spring, consider the Longmire and across the main park road from the including restrooms, and outdoors Ohanapecosh areas. Snowshoe Longmire Museum. For your safety, when social distancing cannot be rentals are available at the do not drink the water from the maintained. Longmire General Store. springs! • Pets are not permitted on trails. Service animals are allowed. Whether you are visiting for a few Drive the 30 minutes up to Paradise. • Visitor centers, wilderness hours or the entire day, there is plenty Make a few stops along the way: information centers, and ranger to do at Longmire and Paradise. • Christine Falls- 4 miles stations are closed at this time. Take a hike, enjoy the views, hunt from Longmire. Park at the • Rangers are staffng information for the elusive forest wildfowers in designated pull outs and follow tables outside of visitor centers and the lowlands, or enjoy the snowy the short path down to the wilderness information centers. landscape at Paradise. Choose your viewpoint of the waterfall. favorites to easily fll your day: • Ricksecker Point- 6 miles from Get the new NPS App! Longmire. Take the slight turn Enter through the Nisqually Entrance towards Ricksecker Point where The new NPS App is here! Use it to learn via Ashford, WA. Enjoy the beautiful you will fnd a magnifcent view about trails, visitor centers, campgrounds, drive along the windy road through of ! directions, fees and passes, and weather old-growth forest. It will be about 15 • - 8 miles from alerts. Download the app today to learn minutes before you reach Longmire. Longmire. Turn into the more about Mount Rainier National Park parking area for Narada Falls. A and to plan your visits to over 420 national Longmire quick but steep trail will bring parks. Search “National Park Service” in Visit Longmire to walk in the you down to the base of the the iOS App Store and Google Play Store to footsteps of those who frst founded waterfall. If snow is present it is download the app. the area and learn about the history of not recommended to walk on the park. Enjoy trails leading through this trail. meadows, old-growth forest, and • Stop at any other pull out if Acting Superintendent for the more adventurous, amazing there is a view you want to enjoy. Tracy Swartout views. The Longmire Museum and Wilderness Information Center are Lost and Found Paradise [email protected] currently closed. Expect snow-covered trails well into June. This area receives many feet Connect with @MountRainierNPS at Walk the Trail of Shadows. 0.7 miles of snow in winter and it lingers well www,nps.gov/mora, and on Facebook, Twitter, round-trip. Average hiking time: 30 into spring. The Paradise Jackson Instagram, Tumblr, and YouTube minutes. A self-guiding loop around Visitor Center is currently closed. Longmire Meadow explores the Look for trail information and early history of the Longmire Springs rangers in the visitor center plaza. Pledge to Preserve and Protect Mount Rainier!

Mount Rainier National Park was and care for the park environment, created to protect and preserve and provides for wilderness unimpaired iconic Mount Rainier, experiences and sustains wilderness along with its natural and cultural values. resources, values, and dynamic processes. Be a Mount Rainier Champion by learning more about park resources The park provides opportunities for and supporting park efforts by people to experience, understand, sharing #RainierPledge!

I Pledge To: “Protect Mount Rainier’s meadows and lakes by Leave No Trace of my visit. Planning ahead and being staying on trails in meadows and around lakes. prepared, disposing of waste properly, and leaving One step onto a meadow damages an average of 17 what you fnd, are just a few ways you can Leave No plants that will take years to recover! Trace.

Never take my pets on trails or meadows. Pets are Keep Wildlife Wild by not feeding or approaching not permitted on trails. They are only permitted in animals. Feeding wildlife can be as direct as offering campgrounds, parking lots, and on roads open for a bit of your lunch, or as indirect as leaving your food travel and must be on leashes no longer than six feet. or garbage for animals to fnd.

Respect the land and all that is connected to it Stay safe during my visit by keeping safety in mind. as the original stewards of this land did and their Watch for changes in weather and conditions. Know descendants continue do today. your limits when exploring Mount Rainier’s trails and backcountry.” Welcome all people I encounter during my visit regardless of their identities or abilities. Emergency: Dial 911 from any phone located in the park Hazards of the Season Enjoy Your Visit, Protect Your Park The National Park Service conducts thousands of search and rescues servicewide each year, many of which could be avoided with visitors planning • Stay on designated trails to protect and making responsible decisions. During the ongoing health crisis, it’s vegetation. critical that we make wise choices to keep our national park rangers and frst responders out of harm’s way. Please follow these tips to safely spend time • Do not feed, approach, or disturb wildlife. outside. • Leashed pets are permitted only in picnic Many early season hikers are not Mountain Weather Changes areas, campgrounds, and parking lots and prepared for challenges encountered Rapidly along roads open to public vehicles. by changing conditions and a A pleasant outing can quickly • People who can legally possess frearms snowpack that lingers late on the transform into a survival ordeal. under federal, State, and local mountain. Proper gear (adequate boots, ice laws may possess them (but federal law axe, the ten essentials, etc.) is a Route-Finding Challenges must. Navigation in spring storms prohibits discharging them) in the park. Trails may be snow-free at lower can be extremely difcult. If you’re However, federal law prohibits frearms in elevations but anticipate and prepare ascending and clouds or fog start certain facilities in this park; those places for snow at higher elevations. rolling in, turn around and head have signs at public entrances. Conditions change rapidly during back to the trailhead. If that’s not • Launching, landing, or operating an the day and footprints in the snow possible, stop, dig in, and wait for quickly disappear. This has left unmanned aircraft (drone) within the better weather. many day hikers disoriented upon boundaries of Mount Rainier National Park their return trip, expecting to simply Cross Streams Safely is prohibited. follow their own tracks back to Many hikers underestimate the • While limited recreational use of marijuana the snow-free trail. This results in power of moving water and some many lost individuals, injuries, and consider their former successful is legal in Washington State, possession of fatalities. When route-fnding, note stream crossings as a ticket to the any amount of marijuana or other illegal important landmarks. If the trail other side. This may not be true. drugs remains illegal in Mount Rainier becomes difcult to follow, stop Use these pointers in making wise National Park and all federal lands. and fnd where you are on the map decisions when crossing streams. • Fires are not permitted in the backcountry. before continuing. • Attending training in safe stream crossings is recommended. • Frontcountry camping is currently closed. Be Prepared • Early morning when river levels If at any point you feel are generally at their lowest is • Bicycle only on roads, not on trails. uncomfortable or unprepared, turn the best time to cross. • Carry the 10 Essentials and know how to around. If you plan on retracing your • Look for an area with a smooth route back to the trailhead consider use them: map and compass; sunglasses, bottom and slow moving water sunscreen, and hat; extra clothing using wands on snow-covered below knee height. (warm!) and rain gear; fashlight or head trails. Always carry a good map and • Before crossing, scout lamp (extra batteries); frst aid supplies; compass, and actively use them on downstream for log jams, snow-covered trails. Also consider waterfalls and other hazards that waterproof matches or lighter; repair kit supplementing your map and could trap you. Locate a point and tools (for gear), extra food and water; compass with an external antenna where you can exit if you fall in. emergency shelter. GPS for best coverage beneath a • Use a sturdy stick to maintain two forest canopy. points of contact with the ground at all times. Recreate Responsibly Consider the steep snow slopes, • Unfasten the belt of your pack melt holes, thinning snow bridges, so you can easily discard it if A visit to a national park is a great way to and other early season hazards necessary. enjoy life during the pandemic. Clear air and that you may encounter, and be • Staring down at moving water solitude, just what we all need right now! honest with yourself in assessing can make you dizzy. Look However, it is critical to remain vigilant in spite your skills and experience. Watch forward as much as possible. of the feeling of distancing ourselves from for streams fowing underneath its spread. Here are some ways you can stay snow. Plan Ahead, Be Prepared healthy and help stop the spread of COVID: Avalanches are Common in Spring • Protect yourself by wearing The greatest danger is an avalanche appropriate outdoor clothing Avoid crowded areas. Seek another location that you trigger by skiing, including footwear. to recreate. snowboarding, snowshoeing, or • Carry the ten essentials even on a short sightseeing hike. climbing. Be prepared for travel Practice physical distancing. Keep six feet • Always tell someone of your in avalanche terrain. Carry a between you and anyone who doesn’t live transceiver, probe, and shovel and travel plans. with you. know how to use them. Determine • Do not travel alone. if the location you are traveling is • If visibility is poor, do not travel avalanche prone. If in doubt, ask at all. Wear a mask and practice good hygiene. questions or don’t go. Unstable snow • Most importantly, plan your Masks are required in all park buildings and may slide at any time . . . not just in route ahead of time and have a when social distancing cannot be maintained. winter! Even small avalanches can be backup plan. Wash or sanitize your hands and avoid deadly. touching any high-traffc surfaces.

Leave no trace. Always pack out what you Hike only on maintained pack in, including gloves and masks.

trails or thick patches of Know your limits. Postpone challenging snow to protect fragile hikes or trying new activities while frst vegetation. responders, parks, and communities continue to concentrate on responding to the pandemic.

v.5/4/2021