Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

What’s new at Mount Rainier?

A profusion of wildflowers blooms in meadows surrounding the Paradise area at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington.  (Associated Press)
Jeffrey P. Mayor Tacoma News-Tribune

With a boost in funding this year, Mount Rainier National Park has increased staff and increased programs and trail upgrades this summer for the 1.2 million annual visitors.

Here’s a summary of what’s new or improved.

Extended hike: Visitors to Sunrise, in the park’s northeast corner, will have the chance to take a long, ranger-led hike.

On Saturdays, from July 10 through Aug. 14, visitors can take a 7-mile round-trip hike along the Wonderland Trail to a saddle on Skyscraper Mountain. The trip will run from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

The trail has spectacular views of Rainier’s glaciers and Willis Wall, but it’s not as well known as others.

The hike will have a one-way elevation gain of about 700 feet. The saddle sits on the side of the 7,078-foot Skyscraper Mountain. Participants will head along Sourdough Ridge before stopping at Frozen Lake. From there, they will follow part of the Wonderland Trail – the famed 93-mile track that circles the mountain – to the saddle.

Visitor programs: The park is adding to its usual slate of campfire programs, ranger-led walks and Junior Ranger programs.

Paradise also has hikes and programs at the Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center.

In the southeast corner of the park, Junior Ranger programs are held at Ohanapecosh.

Sunrise exhibits: By season’s end, the Sunrise Visitor Center will have a fresh look and new nature and geology exhibits. About $500,000 is budgeted for the update.

Trail work: Big efforts will be focused on rerouting the Glacier Basin Trail in the northeast corner of the park and the Wonderland Trail in the Carbon River area. Floods damaged both trails.

“We’re hoping to get very close (to finishing) at Glacier Basin this year,” said Carl Fabiani, park trails supervisor.

Crews have about a half-mile of trail to rebuild, including a 600- to 700-foot connector to the Emmons Moraine Trail.

The remaining work on the Wonderland Trail will involve some blasting later this summer, Fabiani said. About 1,000 feet of trail still needs to be built.

New this year will be the start of a two-year effort to replace a major bridge over the Ohanapecosh River on the Eastside Trail. The bridge is 3 to 3½ miles north of the Stevens Canyon entrance.

With flood repair work winding down, crews will turn their attention to general trail maintenance.

“We have many miles of trails getting overgrown with brush, smaller bridges that are deteriorating or broken down,” Fabiani said.

Shadows of the Past: The park is increasing how often it presents the popular Shadows of the Past program. The program depicts some of the park’s better-known historic characters such as James Longmire, Philemon Beecher Van Trump and Fay Fuller.

Program are set for July 10 and 24 and Aug. 7 and 21 along the Trail of the Shadows at Longmire.

In addition, people portraying some of the characters will perform vignettes in the Longmire area July 17 and 31 and Aug. 14 and 28.