NATIONAL PARKS — National Park Service officials announced today they plan to convert Mount Rainier’s Carbon River Road into a trail for hiking and bicycling.

The road, once a popular road access to a secluded area of the park, has been closed to vehicles since it was heavily damaged in a 2006 storm. It leads to the Ipsut Creek campground, which now is only reachable by hikers or bikers.

The park service today also decided to convert the campground for backcountry use. When money becomes available, a new vehicle campground is planned elsewhere in the park.

Since the road was built in the 1920s, rocks and gravel from floods have raised the bed of the Carbon River by up to 31 feet, with some stretches of the road now lower than the river.