Visiting popular Mount Rainier entrance requires a reservation this summer

Tri-City Herald

KENNEWICK – If you plan to drive to the Sunrise Corridor of Mount Rainier National Park this summer, you will have to jump through some hoops to get there.

In an announcement on its Instagram page Thursday afternoon, the park said visitors wanting to access Sunrise during select hours will need to make a reservation online to get in.

“Mount Rainier National Park will pilot the second year of a timed entry reservation system in summer 2025 for most private vehicles accessing the Sunrise Corridor,” the post said.

Between July 11 and Sept. 1, reservations are required for those who wish to enter Sunrise between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. every day. Between Sept. 2 and the end of the season, reservations are required between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekends and holidays.

“The system is intended to reduce wait times for visitors entering the corridor by car, reduce roadway congestion, ease parking issues, and reduce peak foot traffic along narrow trails which is causing resource damage,” the post said. “The system is designed to disperse visitors more evenly throughout the day and across the park. The pilot will continue to inform management options for a possible longer-term system.”

The News Tribune reached out to spokesperson Terry Wildy with Mount Rainier National Park to ask additional questions about the reservation system, but did not get an immediate response Friday.

Mount Rainier National Park first implemented timed reservations for Sunrise and Paradise last year. The program is an attempt to address long lines at park entrances and parking challenges that visitors have encountered as the popularity of the park has grown.

Reservations won’t be required for Paradise this year because of construction, the Instagram post said.

“Timed entry in the park’s Paradise Corridor will be paused in 2025 due to major construction projects and closures in the park that would make implementation of a timed entry reservation system challenging from both a public access and operational perspective,” the post said.

A reservation at Sunrise is not required if you are entering the park on foot or on bike, the post said, or if you drive to the park before 7 a.m. or after 5 p.m. Exceptions will also be made for those with “a wilderness, research, commercial, or special use permit.”

If you plan to visit Sunrise between July 11 and 31, you can book your reservation starting May 16 at 8 a.m. Reservations for Aug. 1 to Sept. 1 will be available on June 6 at 8 a.m.

The park will also release reservations at 7 p.m. every day for the following day, the post said.

To make a reservation, residents can go to rec.gov or call 877-444-6777. There is a $2 fee to make a reservation.

“You will need both a timed entry reservation and a standard park pass or pay an entry fee,” the post said. “Passes are available at the entrance and at vendors outside the park.”