Mount Rainier National Park to take time to become operational, might take weeks
As per a recent news correspondence, Mount Rainier National Park which is stuck under several feet of snow, covering almost every traffic signal and road, might take several weeks to get back to normalcy after the temporary government shutdown that sometimes started back.
After a conclusion was reached to fund the current government last week, the park operational staff started cleaning the snow beds from the two-lane road connecting to the Paradise area which was closed previously during the temporary shutdown. The parking lot of the Paradise is covered in about four feet of snow.
Currently, the snow around the park is getting dug out of Paradise. Earlier, the management believed that it would be possible for them to complete this task by this weekend, but it might take some more time.
As of now, it is being left to the Park staff to come up with a projected opening date. In the meantime, visitors can make an entry from the Nisqually entrance and can drive as far as the Longmire area, where the restaurant, gift shop and National Park Inn reopened a few weeks ago. The Longmire Museum reopened on Sunday.
It is important for people who are visiting the park to remember that chains are required for six months, i.e., for the period starting November till the end of May. The Carbon River and Mowich areas would be open soon once the snow subsides.
People who are looking forward to sled, will need to wait for some more time as the designated snow play area is in Paradise, and currently, it is not operational due to the lack of snow.
On the other side, i.e. the peninsula region, Olympic National Park staff members are toiling hard to clear the downed trees and storm debris from roads and campgrounds. The Lake Crescent, Staircase, Kalaloch, and Ozette areas are currently accessible by car, but most of the park remains closed due to storm and flood damage.