Nearby Attractions

 

Mount Rainier is within a half–day’s drive of numerous recreational and educational opportunities in the Pacific Northwest.

 

Area Information

• Mount Rainier Visitor Information
• Pierce County Parks and Recreation
• Visit Rainier
• Washington State Tourism
• Washington State Parks

 

Other Recreational Opportunities Near Mount Rainier

• Mount Tahoma Trails Association, in Ashford, Washington, is located just outside the Nisqually Entrance, at the southwest corner of the park.
• Gifford Pinchot National Forest stretches south from Mount Rainier National Park to the Columbia River. The Cowlitz Valley Area, managed by the Cowlitz Valley Ranger Station in Randle, includes several wilderness areas near Mount Rainier. Check wilderness area webpages for information about seasonal trail access:
  • Tatoosh Wilderness shares the southern boundary of Mount Rainier National Park and is located just north of Packwood and northwest of US-12.

  • Goat Rocks Wilderness is southeast of Packwood on the crest of the Cascade Range south of US-12.

  • William O Douglas Wilderness is located in the southern Washington Cascade Mountain crest between White Pass (US-12) and Chinook Pass (SR410) and east of Mount Rainier National Park.

• Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, located on the west side of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, is south of Mount Rainier National Park.
• The Pacific Crest Scenic Trail runs along the eastern edge of Mount Rainier National Park.
• Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, located on the western slopes of the Cascade Range between Mount Rainier and Vancouver, British Columbia. A few areas border the north side of the park:
  • Clearwater Wilderness is north of the park, near the Carbon River area.
  • Mather Memorial Parkway (SR410) travels through the east side of Mount Rainier National Park (closed to vehicles during the winter), but also refers to the national forest area north of the park.
• Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, over 4 million acres on the Cascades' eastern slopes, from the Pasayten Wilderness along the Canadian border to the Goat Rocks Wilderness south of Mount Rainier.
• Federation Forest State Park is a day-use natural area with 619 acres of old growth evergreens. Located along the White River just north of Mount Rainier.

 

National Park Service Sites

• Ebey's Landing National Historic Reserve, located on central Whidbey Island in Washington State's Puget Sound region.
• San Juan Island National Historic Park, located in the Strait of Georgia between Vancouver Island in British Columbia and the U.S. mainland.
• Whitman Mission National Historic Site, is located west of Walla Walla, Washington, and just north of the border with Oregon.
• Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, located between Long Beach, Washington, and Cannon Beach, Oregon, is approximately 4 hours southwest of Mount Rainier.
• Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, in Vancouver, Washington, is approximately 3.5 hours southwest of Mount Rainier.
• Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in Seattle, Washington, is approximately 2.5 hours northwest of Mount Rainier.
• Olympic National Park, headquartered in Port Angeles, Washington, is approximately 4 hours northwest of Mount Rainier.
• North Cascades National Park, headquartered in Sedro-Woolley, Washington, is approximately 6 hours northeast of Mount Rainier.

 

Gateway Communities

Near the southwest Nisqually Entrance:

• Eatonville to the west of the park on SR 161.
• Ashford near the Nisqually Entrance on SR 706 west of the southwest corner of the park.
• Elbe near the Nisqually Entrance on SR 706 west of the southwest corner of the park.
• Morton near the Nisqually Entrance on SR7 east of the southwest corner of the park.

Near the northwest Carbon River Entrance:

• Wilkeson near the Carbon River Entrance on SR165 west of the northwest corner of the park.
• Carbonado near the Carbon River Entrance on SR165 west of the northwest corner of the park.
• Buckley to the northwest of the park on SR410.

Near the southeast SR123 Entrance (Ohanapecosh):

• Packwood near the Ohanapecosh Entrance on SR123 south of the southeast corner of the park.

Near the northeast SR410 Entrance (White River):

• Greenwater near the north entrance on SR410.
• Enumclaw to the north of the park on SR410.