Mountain snow taking a powder

By Pat Jenkins

The Dispatch

The snow has been flying lately at Mount Rainier National Park, but not because of storms.
Rather, the white stuff has been tossed and pushed around by snow plows and other snow removal equipment as part of the park's preparations for the spring season for visitors.
It's a seasonal rite of passage for the park. Every winter, a heavy blanket lf snow forces the closure of roads and most facilities. Then when spring arrives, the park emerges from its winter nap and crews begin the task of clearing the roads, cranking up utilities, and reopening campgrounds, visitor centers and other attractions for the busy season.
It's expected to be a lucrative season, too, based on visitor spending last year. The National Park Service reported in April that in 2016, nearly 1.4 million visitors spent $50 million in the communities surrounding the park, creating a net impact for the local economy of approximately $64 million.
To put out the park's welcome mat for 2017, plowing began May 25 on Stevens Canyon Road and Paradise Valley Road. Park officials said Stevens Canyon is open. So are State Route 410 from the park's north boundary to the White River entrance across Cayuse Pass, and the road from Longmire to Paradise (as conditions permit).
Plows have made it about four miles up Sunrise Road.
Chinook Pass is scheduled to reopen June 9. State transportation workers have been doing avalanche-control work in areas where snow is 40 feet high.
Meanwhile, facilities that are now open include Paradise Inn and the wilderness information centers at White River and Longmire.
Another sign that spring is here on the mountain is that park officials have stopped issuing permits for snow camping for the season.