Paradise Inn in the 1920's and an artist rendering of the new Paradise Visitor Center.

Paradise is the most popular visitor destination in Mount Rainier National Park with its spectacular subalpine meadows, miles of hiking, and jaw-dropping views of the mountain, glaciers, and the Tatoosh Range and, on a clear day, Washington’s southern Cascade peaks. 

Paradise has been the site of two major construction projects for the past two years. The Paradise Inn reopened May 16 after a two year renovation. The purpose of the renovation was to render the building safe in the event of an earthquake or fire. 

Work continues on the new Paradise visitor center, which will open October 10^th. The existing Jackson Visitor Center will be demolished in the spring of 2009 followed by rehabilitation of the site and redesign of the lower parking lot. The new visitor center will house state of the art exhibits, a new park film, food service, and a gift and book shop. It will also provide jaw-dropping views of the mountain.

Parking will be limited at Paradise for the duration of the construction. There is overflow parking available in the picnic area or along the Paradise Valley Road. Or you can avoid the hassle of searching for parking altogether by riding the free shuttle. Shuttle Information

RIDE THE FREE SHUTTLE! -- Shuttles are available in the summer, Friday - Sunday and Holidays. Park at several locations between Longmire and Paradise – save gas and take in the view!    CHECK SHUTTLE SCHEDULE HERE

Shuttle Information
This summer for the first time visitors will be able to ride a shuttle from Ashford, six miles from the park’s Nisqually Entrance, to Longmire on Saturdays and Sundays. Shuttles will depart from Ashford every 30 minutes from 9:15 a.m. through 10:45 a.m. and every 75 minutes from 12-5 p.m. 

In Longmire visitors will be able to transfer to a second shuttle which will transport them to Paradise. The shuttle from Longmire to Paradise will run on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Aug. 31. 

The Ashford shuttle will depart from the information kiosk between Whittaker’s Bunkhouse and Whittaker Mountaineering. Free parking will be available. Although the shuttle itself is free, visitors will be required to pay the park entrance fee of $5 per person (no more than $15 per car load). 

Mount Rainier instituted a shuttle system in 2006 to mitigate the loss of parking caused by two large construction projects at Paradise. The park hopes to build on the experiences of the past two summers to create a long-term, sustainable shuttle system for the park.

Take a look at the Upper Paradise Webcam for views of snowplay or the upper parking lot at Paradise. The selected view is based on current weather conditions.

View the Tatoosh Range or the lower parking lot status on the Tatoosh Range Webcam. Weather and visibility determine the selected view.