As creeks and streams collected the rainwater that fell for days and rolled across the mountain, it became evident that areas of the park would once again be flooded. On November 12th, 2008, the gates to Mount Rainier were closed.
The flow of water as seen in the photo, caused unsafe conditions along the Nisqually Road (from SR 706 in Ashford), the only winter access to Paradise. The main entrance to the park was temporarily closed until safe driving conditions could be established.