What's on in Mount Rainier National Park, United States through the year

Busy — Winter / Christmas break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Closure

  Sunrise Road closed to vehicles

  1 Jan – 31 Dec

  Fire damage has shut the road to Sunrise, the park's high east-side viewpoint, to vehicles; walkers and cyclists can still go up. Mowich Lake and the Carbon River are also cut off, so plan the visit around the south side. Source ↗

Still on: Winter: the Nisqually gate only (1 Nov – 1 May), Ranger snowshoe walks at Paradise (20 Dec – 31 Mar (usually))

Quiet — one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Sunrise Road closed to vehicles (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Winter: the Nisqually gate only (1 Nov – 1 May), Ranger snowshoe walks at Paradise (20 Dec – 31 Mar (usually))

Busy — Spring break in United States

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Sunrise Road closed to vehicles (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Winter: the Nisqually gate only (1 Nov – 1 May), Ranger snowshoe walks at Paradise (20 Dec – 31 Mar (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Sunrise Road closed to vehicles (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Winter: the Nisqually gate only (1 Nov – 1 May)

Busy — Memorial Day weekend

• Opening

  Chinook, Cayuse and Stevens Canyon open

  20 May – 15 Nov · usuallyTrail season

  The east-side passes and Stevens Canyon Road usually reopen just before Memorial Day, completing the drive between Paradise and the east side of the mountain; they shut again when lasting snow arrives, usually in November. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Memorial Day weekend

  23–25 MayNational holidayCrowdedBook early

  Memorial Day, the last Monday of May, opens the summer travel season: over the long weekend campsites and lodging book out, roads are slow, and parking at the most popular spots fills early in the day. Source ↗

Still on: Sunrise Road closed to vehicles (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Winter: the Nisqually gate only (1 Nov – 1 May)

Busy — Summer break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Sunrise Road closed to vehicles (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Chinook, Cayuse and Stevens Canyon open (20 May – 15 Nov (usually))

Peak crowds — Wildflowers at Paradise, Summer break in United States

• Nature

  Wildflowers at Paradise

  15 Jul – 31 Aug · usuallyWildflowers & bloomsCrowded

  Snow can lie in the subalpine meadows into June or July, so the flowers get a short violent season once it goes and the whole of Seattle comes up for it. Stay on the trails: the meadows take decades to recover from a shortcut. Source ↗

Still on: Sunrise Road closed to vehicles (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Chinook, Cayuse and Stevens Canyon open (20 May – 15 Nov (usually))

Peak crowds — Wildflowers at Paradise, Summer break in United States

• Holiday

  Labor Day weekend

  5–7 SepNational holidayCrowdedBook early

  Labor Day, the first Monday of September, is the last big getaway of summer: the long weekend books out campsites and lodging and fills parking early, and families thin out quickly once it has passed. Source ↗

Still on: Sunrise Road closed to vehicles (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Chinook, Cayuse and Stevens Canyon open (20 May – 15 Nov (usually)), Wildflowers at Paradise (15 Jul – 31 Aug (usually))

Peak crowds — Labor Day weekend, Summer break in United States

• Nature

  Huckleberry reds in the meadows

  25 Sep – 20 Oct · usuallyAutumn colour

  Huckleberry and mountain ash turn the subalpine meadows around Paradise and Tipsoo Lake red and gold from late September, usually best in the first half of October; an early snowfall can end it within days. Source ↗

Still on: Sunrise Road closed to vehicles (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Chinook, Cayuse and Stevens Canyon open (20 May – 15 Nov (usually)), Labor Day weekend (5–7 Sep)

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Sunrise Road closed to vehicles (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Chinook, Cayuse and Stevens Canyon open (20 May – 15 Nov (usually)), Huckleberry reds in the meadows (25 Sep – 20 Oct (usually))

Busy — Thanksgiving break in United States

• Closure

  Winter: the Nisqually gate only

  1 Nov – 1 MayRisk

  From November the only way in by car is the Nisqually entrance in the south-west, and the road above Longmire is gated overnight and opened when it has been plowed. Every vehicle must carry chains, whatever it is and whatever the forecast. Source ↗

Still on: Sunrise Road closed to vehicles (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Chinook, Cayuse and Stevens Canyon open (20 May – 15 Nov (usually))

Busy — Winter / Christmas break in United States, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Ranger snowshoe walks at Paradise

  20 Dec – 31 Mar · usuallySki season

  On winter weekends rangers lead short snowshoe walks from the Jackson Visitor Center, with snowshoes lent for the walk; places go first come on the day, and the road above Longmire can close when storms hit. Source ↗

Still on: Sunrise Road closed to vehicles (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Winter: the Nisqually gate only (1 Nov – 1 May)