We decided to take a sunny Saturday trip to our favorite snow play area, at Paradise on Mount Rainier. For official information see the Winter Recreation Page.
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When we arrived at Longmire, the gate was closed for snow removal. There were about 30 other vehicles waiting to head up. Just after we parked and started heading to the bathrooms, the gate opened. It’s always a nice drive up to Paradise, but it’s even more interesting with over 4-10 feet of snow on the side of the road. The parking lot was clear and lots of parking available.
One new addition in the last few years is the visitor center. It is built more closely to the style of the original Paradise Inn and the Mountain Guide structure. There is a great variety of history, wildlife facts and cultural information. This building is open on weekends and holidays and is staffed by knowledgeable park rangers.The groomer was broken down, so the rangers were digging the sled runs by hand. Usually, with the groomer, the end up with two deap, fast runs. Despite this, the snow was good and after several runs, the sledding was good.To access the snow play are, located in the meadow just above the parking lot, they have to constantly cut steps in to the increasing layers of the snow bank.
