History of Wilderness at Mount Rainier

Woven basket detail.

NPS photo

Since time immemorial, people have valued the place now known as Mount Rainier for its wild character. The mountain has long provided spiritual and physical sustenance for the indigenous people who are now represented by the park’s six traditionally affiliated tribes: the Cowlitz, Muckleshoot, Nisqually, Puyallup, Squaxin Island, Yakama, and the Coast Salish people. Archaeological evidence extends from the lower elevation streams and river courses all the way up to the subalpine and alpine landscapes, showing a tangible record matching the traditional knowledge of elders, of the extent of generations of tribal stewardship. Long before it was designated as wilderness, the mountain along with its features and values were protected and preserved by local tribes passing knowledge and practices down through the generations.

A group climbing Paradise Glacier, sometime between 1911 and 1920.

Curtis & Miller/Library of Congress.

Early Designation Efforts
Recognizing the superlative, unique, and inspiring features of the glacial landscape and subalpine wildflower meadows, in 1899 Congress created the nation’s fifth national park, Mount Rainier National Park, “to provide for the preservation from injury or spoilation of all timber, mineral deposits, natural curiosities, or wonders... and their retention in their natural condition... for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.”

In 1935, as the movement to protect wild spaces was gaining nationwide momentum, local mountaineers suggested for the first time that a Mount Rainier “wilderness” be established in the northern roadless sections of the park because they were concerned about resource damage in the area.

It was not until the 1960s, however, that park staff built upon the earlier proposals and acknowledged the impacts of increased backcountry use. These efforts were supported by The Seattle Mountaineers, who published a report in 1969 titled Recommendations for Future Development of Mt. Rainier National Park that expressed its members’ concerns about the fragile areas of the park.

The park completed its Environmental Impact Statement and initial proposal to Congress in 1974 to designate 210,700 acres as wilderness. Public hearings regarding this proposal were held in Longmire, Washington, and Tacoma, Washington, and were attended by approximately 250 people.

In the mid-1980s, Superintendent Neal Guse's administration expanded the original proposal to include 17,780 more acres. He wanted everything except the existing roads and developed areas to be protected as wilderness. The new proposal was combined with the proposals of North Cascades National Park and Olympic National Park, which Congress passed in 1988 as the omnibus Washington Park Wilderness Act. As Title III of the act states, the Mount Rainier Wilderness was designated “in furtherance of the purposes of the Wilderness Act...and therefore components of the National Wilderness Preservation System.”

Wilderness Management
Mount Rainier National Park staff continues to study and manage the wilderness carefully in accordance with the dictates of its designation. In 1989, the park published its first Wilderness Management Plan. This plan established indicators, standards, and monitoring strategies under the “Limits of Acceptable Change” framework; removed several non-historic structures from wilderness; closed sensitive camping areas; set additional use limits for cross-country and alpine zones; required permits for overnight backcountry/wilderness use on a year-round basis; and developed group size restrictions for camping in alpine, cross-country, and winter use zones. Amendments made in 1990, 1991, and 1992 later refined these original policies.

The Longmire Administration Building is an excellent example of
NPS Rustic architecture and a designated National Historic Landmark.

Asahel Curtis/Mount Rainier National Park Archives

Since then, managers of Mount Rainier National Park have created new plans as needed. In 1997, areas of the park were designated as a National Historic Landmark District (NHLD). Because the designation established certain structures and trails as nationally significant historic properties within wilderness, park managers began to focus on balancing the goals of historic preservation and wilderness stewardship. The NHLD preserves historical treasures like the Wonderland Trail and honors the original wilderness management strategies employed by the park.In 2015, the park published a Foundation Document to provide basic guidance for planning and management decisions. The Foundation Document reiterates wilderness values and experiences as fundamental to the park’s purpose and identifies an updated Wilderness Stewardship Plan as a priority for park planning efforts.