Barely two weeks into summer, Mount Rainier National Park is already experiencing high numbers of visitors, creating long wait times at park entrances, heavy traffic on park roads, and congested parking lots.
Park officials last week were encouraging visits on weekdays and early-morning or late-afternoon arrivals to avoid the crowds.
To help reduce congestion, superintendent Randy King said the park is testing various approaches to traffic flow at Paradise, the most heavily-used recreation area. In the meantime, visitors are reminded that overflow parking is available at the Paradise picnic area and along Paradise Valley Road, King said. And at Sunrise, when the parking area is filled to capacity, incoming vehicles are held at the White River entrance until parking spots become available by vehicles departing the lot.
“By avoiding peak congestion times, you may spend less time looking for parking and more time enjoying the park,” King said.
Most park facilities and roads are open, including roads to Sunrise and to Mowich Lake. Ricksecker Point will remain closed due to a road paving project between Longmire and Paradise. Information on the status of roads and facility hours is available at www.nps.gov/mora.
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