Mount Rainier National Park waived entrance fees for park visitors on Nov. 11 in honor of Veterans Day and its own ties to the military that date back more than 100 years. The U.S. Cavalry served as the first park rangers at many parks that preceded the creation of the National Park Service in 1916. Troops weren’t assigned to Mount Rainier in those early years, but during World War II, the Army’s 10th Mountain Division trained in the park before being sent to Europe to fight in the Alps and other mountainous regions. The division’s war efforts are honored by a bronze memorial at the park’s Paradise recreation area. Today, units from Joint Base Lewis-McChord are involved in joint training exercises and search-and-rescue operations in the park. In addition to the annual custom of letting all vehicles carrying visitors enter the park free of charge on Veterans Day, Mount Rainler officials and the Park Service offer active-duty military members and their dependents a free military annual pass at the park entrance. A free lifetime pass is also available to disabled veterans. The passes are valid at more than 2,000 national parks, wildlife refuges, national forests, and other federal recreational areas. More information is available at: www.nps.gov/findapark/passes.htm.
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