Mount Rainier is a beautiful National Park with wildflowers and mountain views galore, but with the highest accessible elevation sitting at 6,400 feet, the mountain roads of Mount Rainier can be tricky to navigate. One of the most common questions I received was: What is it like when driving through Mount Rainier?
Mount Rainier National Park has three main gate entrances: The Nisqually Gate, Stevens Canyon Gate, and White River. All three gates lead to windy, relatively narrow roads that ascend towards Mount Rainier from the valley below. The high elevation portions of each road could all have driving hindrances such as thick fog, extreme rain/snow storms, and wildlife on the road.
My name is Lukas Gott, I worked at Mount Rainier in the summer of 2024. I drove an old, questionable Toyota 4 Runner up and down the hills of the park for 4 months. Follow along to learn from my mistakes and close calls driving these roads!
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There are zero shuttle service options in Mount Rainier National Park. That means arriving and maneuvering via car is the only option available, which can be a struggle. With increased parking and traffic issues, the National Park Service opted for a timed entry system for the park gates, which will be discussed in detail later in this article. It could be argued that Mount Rainier is too spread out for shuttles, or the NPS fears it will lead to even higher visitor numbers, possibly causing increased pressure on the ecosystem. Nonetheless, No Shuttles.
Mount Rainier receives historic snow levels year after year, even holding the record in the U.S. for most snowfall at 93.5 ft in 1991. Even with the incredible heat in summer, the hard-packed snow will stick around until late June or early July. There would be days outside my housing where the snow would steam into the air visually, and that snowpack would go on to last another two weeks.
That means when the gates open to the Nisqually and Stevens Canyon Entrance, there is a 100% chance that there are still large amounts of snow in Paradise. Now, hard-packed snow is already an issue to attempt hiking in June, but what makes it interesting is that snowstorms still hit Mount Rainier in summer, making any attempt at driving in the park a dangerous endeavor (I pushed that limit a few times, I DO NOT RECOMMEND).
Due to the previously mentioned high snowfall, the gates of Mount Rainier close seasonally due to unsafe conditions.
The Nisqually Entrance is open the longest, normally only closing at night and when roads are deemed unsafe to drive during the winter season. The road is unlikely to be able to reach Paradise Inn, but it will grant access to lower sections of the Paradise Corridor.
The Stevens Canyon Entrance closes its gates in mid-October most years, reopening in early June when the snowpack clears above Reflection Lake, from my experience.
The White River Entrance closes for the longest period due to the high elevation of the Sunrise Corridor. This entrance closes in early October and may not reopen until mid-July if snowpack persists.
READ: Which Entrance Should I Use to Visit Mount Rainier?
Mount Rainier has only 3 roads in the park. Paradise Road begins at the western Nisqually Gate and finishes at Paradise Inn, passing the tiny town of Longmire as well as tourist stops such as Comet/Carter Falls and Cougar Rock Campground. Paradise Road is curvy and narrow, and near Paradise can be covered in ice or thick fog, which we’ll get into later in this article.
The other route leading to Paradise, Stevens Canyon Road, comes from the East. This road starts at the Stevens Canyon Gate, just past the town of Packwood, and passes by tourist stops such as Silver Falls, Box Canyon, and Reflection/Snow Lake. Stevens Canyon follows a narrow ridgeline for a large portion of the drive, but it isn’t quite as curvy as Paradise Road.
The last route is Sunrise Road, which is used purely to access the Sunrise Corridor of Mount Rainier. This road lies in the Northeast corner of the park and passes through the White River Gate before reaching Sunrise Day Lodge. This road won’t open until early July most years due to snow, but in the early season, be aware of ice and bad weather on this curvy road. A must-stop on this road is Sunrise Point, a viewing area engineered to naturally curve with Sunrise Road’s natural landscape.
To reach every area of the park in Mount Rainier, it’s required to leave and re-enter the gates in the park. To reach the Sunrise Corridor of the park from the Paradise Corridor, you will have to exit at Stevens Canyon Gate and enter the White River Gate.
The drive from Paradise Inn to Sunrise Day Lodge will take approximately 2 Hours, as normally, traffic and windy roads cause bridging the two to take slightly longer.
To drive the full length of Paradise Road, it takes approximately 45 minutes to an hour.
To drive the full length of Sunrise Road, it takes just over 30 minutes.
Mount Rainier is a widespread area, where a drive from any entrance can take up to an hour to arrive at Sunrise or Paradise. There are zero gas stations in Mount Rainier National Park. As someone who worked on top of the Mountain, you could imagine this was quite the predicament when trying to travel within the park without leaving. Some days at Mount Rainier were just gas days, where the closest fill-up was in Packwood or Ashford. The gas station just outside Ashford is arguably the closest option to Paradise, and Packwood is the only option when visiting Sunrise. Fill that tank up whenever you get the opportunity!
Also, in comparison to gas, anyone with an electric vehicle should have a fairly easy time finding a charge in and around the park. In the park, EV charging stations can be found for visitor use at both the National Park Inn in Longmire and the Paradise Inn in Paradise. On the Western perimeter of the park, Ashford has several hotels with charging stations (most likely available to guests only), and on the East side, Highway 12 (which runs through Packwood and nearly reaches the White River Sunrise Entrance) has EV charging stations installed.
Now, whoever designed Sunrise and Paradise Road did a beautiful job; Mount Rainier’s valleys and natural features are beautifully highlighted by the curving roads. And then I think they forgot about the parking lots. The Paradise area has a horrifying parking lot, where a lack of road markers leads to drivers cutting each other off and fighting over the few spots available. The parking lot ends near Paradise with a roundabout that constantly causes traffic jams due to short-term parking in front of the lodge.
If visiting after 10 am, I would immediately go into the unmarked overflow parking lot just before getting to Paradise. In the middle of summer, the one-way road past Paradise has parking available on the side of the road, as well as near the overflow parking lot. But in reality, it’s every man for themself, if it looks like a spot and isn’t marked with a no parking sign, it’s fair game.
In my few visits to Sunrise, I arrived early out of fear that Sunrise Lodge had a similar parking situation. I was early enough to beat the crowds, and the parking lot is far more straightforward, but it still fills to its limit in peak summer, from my knowledge.
Come early for parking, or be prepared to have your patience tested.
As mentioned a few times already, the roads in Mount Rainier have a lot of curves. Some of these curves, especially on Paradise Road, are excessive in my opinion. The speed limit in Mount Rainier is 35 MPH, but people drive faster than that, of course.
The worst curves tend to be placed near tourist destinations (not a great design choice) and therefore put the driver and pedestrian in danger when attempting to cross the street to get the perfect picture. Near Cougar Rock, I’ve seen too many campervans whip around a tight corner and nearly take out a few pedestrians. Drive slowly, even on a sunny day, especially if carrying excess weight, as the roads and corners are tight throughout Mount Rainier.
If the roads weren’t dangerous enough, Mount Rainier is renowned for extreme temperature changes. In the early mornings, these windy roads can get icy if the dew freezes, especially on Sunrise Road and near Paradise Inn, but it’s more likely you’ll be caught in a downpour of rain that falls so hard it impedes your vision on the road.
My biggest issue in Rainier was the fog. This fog is thick. On no other road have I had my brights on and been unable to see the immediate road in front of me. I’ve driven that road at 10 MPH due to the lack of visibility and the fear of an unfamiliar turn. I would avoid driving any of these skinny and windy roads if the upcoming weather forecast is extreme.
To add to the windy roads and the threat of extreme weather, Mount Rainier National Park is a land rich in wildlife. In Mount Rainier, deer, similar to deer everywhere else, freeze in car headlights. The unsuspecting victim of speeding in Mount Rainier may also be a bear or even an elk in the lower valleys.
Near Ashford, a large herd of elk roam the area and tend to take the road to jump from pasture to pasture. They’re a beautiful sight up close, and a few times I’ve seen a polite line form waiting for them to complete their crossing. Yet the elk aren’t always visible right away, and on a rainy day in Mount Rainier, neither will a raccoon, deer, or even a bear. This road has a wide variety of reasons to remain at a slow and safe speed, but animal and human safety tops that list.
Cell phone coverage is a funny thing in Mount Rainier. Upon any park gate entrance, there will be almost no service, including just outside the small towns of Packwood and Ashford. Yet as soon as you arrive at the lodges in Paradise or Sunrise, the connection couldn’t be better. There is no wifi available at Paradise Lodge, where they are attempting to add to the rustic experience with no wifi availability.
First, before finding yourself in an emergency situation and before visiting the park, visit the NPS Mount Rainier weather forecast . Mount Rainier’s extreme weather is dangerous; stay updated before visiting. In the case of an emergency on the road or on the mountain, stay calm, call NPS dispatch at 6600 or 911, and relay as much information on the incident as possible.
Implemented in 2024, Mount Rainier’s timed entry system was put in place to decrease tourist traffic within the park. As of April 2025, whether or not the timed entry system will continue to be used is unknown. The timed entry system caused massive traffic backlogs, and the National Park Service is making a decision on its use going forward. Check the National Park Service website for updated information.
Yes, RVs are allowed in Mount Rainier National Park. On Sunrise Road, there is a restriction to 25 feet in length due to the steep and sharp turns the road features. But even in Paradise, the roads are still steep and sharp, so be aware that an RV trip through the park will be a slow climb no matter where you’re headed.
My honest answer, yes. Even on a sunny weekday with little foot traffic, it can still be scary driving so close to the large cliffs each road features. But as previously mentioned, the real scare will be tourist traffic and poor weather conditions. There isn’t a road you need to fear without built-in wall barriers and high-quality pavement, but being aware and careful on this road is definitely the best call.
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