ASHFORD, Wash. – Mount Rainier National Park joined other popular, and crowded, national parks this summer in implementing a timed-entry reservation system. The pilot program limited visits to the Paradise and Sunrise Corridors and is in place through Labor Day 2024.
The system requires reservations for visitors coming into the park between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. The goal is to reduce crowding, provide a better visitor experience, improve safety and reduce impacts to park resources as visitation to the park continues to increase, according to a park release.
Reservations are available on recreation.gov and cost $2, in addition to the park entrance fee. Advance reservations are available, along with additional reservations released at 7 p.m. for the next day. The reservation provides a two-hour entry window to Paradise or Sunrise Corridors.
The park reported that the system is in response to increased in visitation. Park visiting numbers have increased by a half million in the past ten years, with 1.6 million visitors in 2022. Most visits occur between July and September and are concentrated to small, popular areas of the park.
With the pilot season coming to an end, park officials are now asking for visitor feedback on the timed-entry system.
“We are eager to learn what visitors think of the pilot timed entry system we are testing out this summer,” said Superintendent Greg Dudgeon. “We want to hear how the pilot did or did not work for people before we finalize our long-term visitor use management plan for the Nisqually to Paradise Corridor at Mount Rainier National Park.”
Starting today, visitors can submit comments online at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/MountRainier2024 until 11:59 p.m. PT on September 15.
