Reflection Lakes Exhibit Panel

Reflection Lakes continues to be a popular destination for generations of visitors.

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Location:

Reflection Lakes along Stevens Canyon Road

Amenities

3 listed

Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Parking - Auto, Scenic View/Photo Spot

Title: Rescuing Reflection Lakes

Main Text
From the earliest days of tourism, many people have been attracted to this classic view of Mount Rainier. A boat concession which began in 1927 and the stocking of non-native fish had unintended consequences: the lakeshore and surrounding meadows were damaged by increased recreational activity. Eventually the lakes were closed to fishing, boating, and swimming due to their negative impact on the lake ecosystem. Fish stocking was stopped in 1973. 

Now the National Park Service is taking steps to restore the area's beauty by clearly delineating trails and revegetating the spiderweb of informal paths and bare ground. You can help by staying on trails and never short-cutting. 

Secondary Text
If the air and water are still - usually in early morning - the lake perfectly mirrors the mountain. 

Exhibit Panel Description
A single black and white historic photo fills the exhibit panel with the main text stretching across the top third of the photo. The historic photo shows a line of small row boats in a lake with people in historic swimming costumes sitting in the boats. A caption reads: "Historic photo of boaters on Reflection Lake, 1929. Fishing, boating, and swimming are no longer permitted on the lakes." A smaller, color photo in the upper right corner of the panel shows Mount Rainier reflecting in a still lake, with a dead tree trunk lying on the shore of the lake surrounded by grass. The secondary text is above the small photo. A small box in the lower left corner of the panel reads "User Fee Project. Your Fee Dollars at Work. Entrance fees were used to produce this exhibit".

Visit This Exhibit Panel
This exhibit panel is on the east side of the main parking lot at Reflection Lakes. Reflection Lakes is approximately 1.3 miles east of the Paradise Road wye along Stevens Canyon Road, which is open to vehicles during the summer season, typically from June-September.