ROAD TO PARADISE REOPENS THIS WEEKEND

For Immediate Release
Contact: Lee Taylor 360-569-2211 ext. 3303

Mount Rainier's primary winter access route will reopen Saturday after being closed for several weeks by avalanche danger and storm damage. Heavy rain last week resulted in a land slide that took out one lane of the road for a distance of 100 feet. A Federal Highway Administration engineer inspected the remaining lane on Tuesday and determined it safe for use. "We'll have flaggers on the road to control travel through the damaged area", said Acting Park Superintendent Randy King. Visitors can anticipate very little wait time to get through the one-lane section." Weather permitting, the road from Longmire to Paradise will be open on weekends and holidays throughout the winter, but will be closed during the week, at least in the near term. "We don't have the staff necessary to provide safe access through the damaged section during the week. Our initial focus is on providing access for winter recreation on weekends when we can be very busy," said King. "We'll continue to explore options for safe weekday travel to Paradise."

Weekday visitors may travel as far as Longmire, where there is a visitor center, hotel with dining room, restrooms, and access to several trails. There are also several feet of snow on the ground. The West Side Road, just inside the park entrance, also offers cross country skiers and snowshoers several miles of terrain for excursions. Information on recreational opportunities and events in the communities and road corridors around the park can be found at www.visitrainier.com

Road repair will have to wait until late spring, due to the risk posed by doing construction work in this avalanche-prone zone. The work will last several weeks, and may delay traffic but will not close the road. "We're just glad we were left with one usable lane and people will still be able to get to Paradise to play in the snow this winter", said King.