Are you heading to Mount Rainier National Park this summer and curious about which entrance you should use and how you should approach the new timed entry system?
Taking the Stevens Canyon Entrance will provide the easiest access to the main attractions of the park, such as Paradise and Sunrise Corridors. Mount Rainier National Park used a pilot timed entry system in 2024 for the first time to control traffic and visitor numbers. The three main entrances, Nisqually, White River, and Steven Canyon all require this timed entry from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm and experience heavy traffic on weekends or holidays during the summer season. Entering the park before 7:00 am or after 3:00 pm makes it possible to avoid the timed entry and traffic altogether.
My name is Lukas Gott, and I worked for Paradise Inn. While living in Paradise, I made weekly trips to nearby towns of Ashford, Packwood, and even Seattle for supplies. I have entered all three gates of the park and experienced the traffic that comes with them. Keep reading for my opinion on how to navigate these gates.
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The Nisqually Entrance is the main entrance from the West and the easiest access to most hikes, views, and historical locations within the Paradise Corridor. The road from Nisqually to Paradise follows the original historic road built in the early 1900s where drivers pass views of the Cascade Mountain Range, Christine Falls, as well as Glacier Bridge.
FUN FACT: Someone once told me Glacier Bridge used to have the glacier extend all the way to the bridge, where vendors would scoop ice from the glacier to make snow cones for tourists. To be honest, I forget where I heard this and whether it’s from a reliable source, but it’s still fun to think about when passing by.
This road is beautiful but dangerous, as with its scenic and historical nature come sharp turns, unsuspecting tourists on the road, and icy conditions in the early/late season. But in my opinion, the scariest situation on this road for me has been the fog. Washington is known for its thick fog, and numerous times on my way to Paradise I would be driving with fog lights on with no more than 2 yards of visibility. Then combine the windy road running along cliffs and blinding high beams and this road had me questioning whether or not I’d make it to the top of the mountain.
The Nisqually Entrance is arguably the most popular. It features the easiest access to the main sites of the park and follows weekend traffic routes for metropolitan Washington. Traffic will feel like downtown L.A. on weekends, and I took the eye test, it’s not for the faint of heart. I still recommend this route to see the key aspects of the Paradise Corridor, but plan early and be traffic aware.
Before entering the Nisqually Entrance there are two tiny gateway towns worth visiting, Elbe and Ashford, each with a singular gas station and market.
Elbe is further from the entrance of the two at about 13 miles. It isn’t worth a long stop but has some worthwhile attractions in town such as the Mount Rainier Railroad and Dining Company and Hobo Inn, a dining and stay experience inside retired train cars, and Elbe Lake, a nice sunny spot for a picnic and games. My favorite spot to eat in town is Elbe Bar and Grill, one of the cheaper places to get a good burger, and a pool table to go along with it.
Ashford is the closest town to the Nisqually entrance. Ashford’s most recognizable traits for me are its Rainier Cherry fruit stands (a great road snack when entering the park).
FUN FACT: Rainier Cherries are yellow cherries that are described as sweeter and more delicate compared to red cherries.
Whittakers is also another well-known spot. It is the best Mount Rainier climbing guide rental facility as well as a cafe, restaurant, and lodge.
FUN FACT: The Whittakers, twins Jim and Lou, are renowned climbers of Mount Rainier and well renowned within the community. Jim Whittaker was the first American to summit Mount Everest in 1963 and is a co-founder of the company REI.
Ashford does provide several lodging opportunities including highly rated Airbnb’s, Copper Creek Inn, and Stone Creek Lodge. If lodges are outside the budget or camping within the park is full, Kernahan Road or NF-52 just outside of Ashford has several bare necessity camping sites that can be found on apps such as IOverlander.
Stevens Canyon is the eastern Entrance that connects Hwy 123 to the Paradise Corridor and draws less weekend traffic from the eastern side of Washington. This entrance features sites such as Silver Falls, Box Canyon, and Inspiration Point all while following the stunning rim of Stevens Canyon before arriving at Paradise. If you’re looking for a quick hike before heading to Paradise, take the easy Silver Falls Loop available immediately upon entrance.
Stevens Canyon Entrance, having been built in 1957, has an arguably safer road design to reach Paradise. The road still runs along cliffs and the fog will still remain an issue, but easier turns and less tourist traffic account for a slightly safer road.
The closest town to Stevens Canyon Entrance is Packwood. Packwood is close in size to Ashford but is less spread out and features accommodations, near superior dining, and entertainment.
Hotel Packwood is a great option for lodging. It is a historic hotel that has a great atmosphere and location. Another good choice is the Mountain View Lodge (book here) which doesn’t actually have mountain views, but the rooms are nice and they have a backyard area for guests to spend time in.
Packwood’s dining options include Cliff Droppers, a burger joint with large portion sizes, Packwood Brewing Company (probably one of the only bar-like features near the park), as well as the family-friendly Nachos Mexican restaurant.
Stevens Canyon may not have direct access to Longmire and the lower half of the Paradise Corridor but does have its own viewing prowess as well as a similar access time to Paradise and more direct access to the Sunrise Corridor. Bypassing the Stevens Canyon Entrance and continuing up Hwy 123, a direct route to the White River Entrance and Sunrise awaits, making Packwood and the Stevens Canyon Entrance the best entrance and home base to use at Mount Rainier.
The White River Entrance is used for the sole purpose of accessing the Sunrise Corridor of the park. Aside from a nice drive, Sunrise Road is defined by Sunrise Point, a panoramic viewpoint of the Cascade mountain range.
Similar to all other Mount Rainier roads, driving on a cliff on a foggy night isn’t appealing, but I would argue that Sunrise has the potential to be more dangerous than the roads to Paradise as snow/ice tends to stick around longer at the higher elevation Sunrise Road.
The closest base town to the Sunrise corridor is still Packwood, which is an hour’s drive between them. Sunrise itself does not have accommodations aside from White River Campground and backcountry camps. This makes Sunrise almost exclusively a day visit site, so when entering from the Nisqually Entrance and visiting Sunrise, Packwood will still be the best place to stay for the night.
Chinook Pass is the alternate entrance from the East. The entrance intersects with Highway 410, immediately arriving at Tipsoo Lake, a beautiful lake with views of Mount Rainier and wildflowers in midsummer. This is a gorgeous area of the park, but will still require entering the White River or Stevens Canyon entrance to reach either the Paradise or Sunrise Corridors of the park. But if you have time, take a day to hike in the Tipsoo area and drive to Packwood to settle in before approaching the park’s main attractions.
DON’T MISS: Quick and Easy Guide to Hiking in Mount Rainier
These two entrances are the more remote, less touristy parts of the park in the Northwest corner of Mount Rainier. These roads will not lead you through to the East side of Mount Rainier meaning no access to the Sunrise or Paradise Corridors.
Mowich Lake and Carbon River each have their own hikes, as well as quiet views of Mount Rainier fit for a great day visit, but are entirely unattached to the rest of the park.
Mount Rainier piloted a timed-entry reservation system beginning in 2024 making it necessary to have a reservation to visit the Sunrise and Paradise Corridors between the hours of 7:00 am and 3:00 pm. The Paradise Corridor required a timed-entry reservation from late May-early September and the Sunrise Corridor was from July-September.
Timed entry reservations can be exclusively booked on the Recreation.gov website or at (877)-444-6777.
Reservations are available in two-hour intervals starting at 7:00 am until 3:00 pm closing time. These reservations become available 90 Days in advance, or they also have some next-day reservations available at 7:00 pm Pacific time the night before. There is also the possibility of getting a first come first serve ticket at the gate, however, most summer days will be fully booked and you will be turned away without a ticket. These reservations will fulfill the requirements of entry for one vehicle in any period within your two-hour interval. My suggestion if entering during a time that you need a timed entry ticked would be to book these reservations at as close to 90 days in advance as possible, especially if seeing the wildflowers in July and August is on your agenda.
Because this program was piloted in 2024 we don’t know for sure any changes that might be made in future years. Make sure to check the National Park website for more current information.
Be aware that while the timed entry does close in September park-wide, the only gate open year-round will be the Nisqually Entrance, as the Sunrise Corridor is entirely unavailable until its gates open in July.
As mentioned before, when timed entry begins, the easiest way to get into the park without worries of traffic would be to come through a gate either before 7:00 am or after 3:00 pm when only a park pass is required to enter the park. All visitors are required to have a National Park pass to enter.
These park passes can be found on the Mount Rainier National Park website.
| Standard Pass | Annual Pass | America the Beautiful Pass |
|---|---|---|
| $15-30 Entry into Mount Rainier for 7 days | $55 Entry into Mount Rainier for a year | $80 Entry into Mount Rainier and any other National Park for a year |
Now for everyone entering, with or without a timed-entry reservation, GET TO THE PARK EARLY! As a regular gate visitor, I’ve watched a line form nearly halfway to the nearby town of Ashford by noon, taking me almost two and a half hours to reach the gates of the park. This type of traffic is normally exclusive to holidays and mid-summer weekends, but getting there early is the best way to go.
As far as timed entry ticket holders go, I would suggest showing up at the earlier half of your two-hour interval. If you do not enter through the gates before the end of your timed interval your ticket will be invalid. So for example, if my interval is from 7:00 to 9:00 am, I would be planning to be in that entry line before 7:30-8:00 am.
The Nisqually and Stevens Canyon Entrances connect to the Paradise Corridor, so a timed entry reservation is needed beginning in May and goes until September.
The White River Entrance connects to the Sunrise Corridor, timed entry here opens in July and closes in September.
Mowich Lake Road and Carbon River Entrances lead to Mowich Lake and Carbon River hikes. Mowich Lake Road will close in the winter and Carbon River will most likely be unavailable due to weather in winter.
Most travelers want to visit the most popular sites and still avoid the crowds. We have a detailed itinerary that gives you a step-by-step game plan so you can get to the best places at the right times.
MOUNT RAINIER TRIP PLANNER: To read or watch all of our content about Mount Rainier National Park, check out our Mount Rainier Homepage.
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