News Release

Private Vehicles Prohibited Beyond the Nisqually Entrance

Date: January 6, 2019
Contact: Tracy Swartout, 360-569-6502

The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for lower elevations in Mount Rainier National Park beginning at 10 p.m. Pacific Time Saturday January 5th. The advisory remains in effect through 10 a.m. Sunday January 6th. Significant snow accumulations have begun in the park, including the Longmire and Nisqually Entrance areas, and road travel is expected to deteriorate rapidly. In addition, Rainier Guest Services, the park’s concessioner that operates the National Park Inn, restaurant, and gift shop, will close Sunday mid-day. As a result, there will be no public services including food, restrooms, or snow plowing sufficient for safe public travel anywhere in the park beginning late Sunday. Beginning Sunday afternoon, January 6, the park is prohibiting all public vehicle access into the park via the Nisqually entrance near Ashford. Due to the unavailability of park staff to provide essential public services and ensure continued road safety for visitors, this closure to public vehicles is expected to continue until further notice.

People attempting to visit the park on foot are reminded that there is no publicly-available parking outside the park gates and no areas are being maintained for safe public snow play inside the park. Most property surrounding the gates at the Nisqually entrance is privately-owned and any vehicles improperly parked on private lands or blocking park gates may be towed. Traveling by foot on park roads is prohibited and is extremely unsafe, as limited plowing activities must continue to provide emergency access.  

Updates on park access will be provided as conditions warrant.

About the National Park Service - More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 417 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities.

-NPS-