Visitor Information

Park Contact Information

Mount Rainier National Park. 55210 238th Ave. East, Ashford, Washington, 98304. 360/569–2211; 360/569–6575; www.nps.gov/mora.

Visitor Centers

Jackson Memorial Visitor Center. High on the mountain's southern flank, this center houses exhibits on geology, mountaineering, glaciology, and alpine ecology. Multimedia programs are staged in the theater; there's also a snack bar and gift shop. This is the park's most popular visitor destination, and it can be quite crowded in summer. Hwy. 706 E, 19 miles east of Nisqually park entrance, Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington, 98398. 360/569–6571; www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/paradise.htm. Mid-June–Labor Day, daily 10–7; early Sept., daily 10–6; mid-Sept.–mid-Oct., daily 10–5; late Oct.–early June, weekends 10–5; food service closes 15 mins earlier year-round. Weekdays mid-Oct.–Apr..

Longmire Museum and Visitor Center. Glass cases inside this museum preserve the park's plants and animals, including a stuffed cougar. Historical photographs and geographical displays provide a worthwhile overview of the park's history. The adjacent visitor center has some perfunctory exhibits on the surrounding forest and its inhabitants, as well as pamphlets and information about park activities. Hwy. 706, 10 miles east of Ashford, Longmire, Washington, 98397. 360/569–6575; www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/longmire.htm. July–mid-Oct., daily 9–5; mid-Oct.–June, daily 9–4:30.

Sunrise Visitor Center. Exhibits at this center explain the region's sparser alpine and subalpine ecology. A network of nearby loop trails leads you through alpine meadows and forest to overlooks that have broad views of the Cascades and Rainier. The visitor center has a snack bar and gift shop. Sunrise Rd., 15 miles from the White River park entrance, Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington, 98304. 360/663–2425; www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/sunrise.htm. Early July–early Sept., daily 10–6. Mid-Sept.–June.