Winter has arrived at Mount Rainier. Paradise has over 100 inches on the ground and snow play is open.
Visitor Centers are still closed due to covid. Check Park website before visiting for weather and road opening information.
Paradise is melting out fast with patches of wildflowers starting to bloom. The heat this week will probably fry all the glacier lilies in bloom on the Valley road. With Steven's Canyon still closed very few choices to hike in the Paradise area without snow. Go to Sunrise on the east side of the Park.
Well May is gone and June has arrived with possible Phase 2 opening in the area. Mt Rainier is still closed and during the upcoming pod cast tomorrow we might get a glimpse of what the summer will be like in the Park. A limited number of seasonal staff has been hired and are on site training for this epic new adventure.
Paradise is down to 118" of snow on the ground and the lower forest should be in full bloom.
Spring is here. The flowers are popping everywhere, but know place to go. Here in Washington all state lands, county parks, National Parks and private parks are all closed. So visit these parks on line for a virtual tour - especially the National Parks and absorb this in your veins to keep your sanity. If people obey the rules in place this virus will fade away faster. Happy Spring.
Last 2 -3 weeks, Paradise has gained about 80" of snow. We now have about 170" on the ground, but March is usually a very snowy month. By the end of March I will have a better idea on a melt out date for Paradise.
Currently with nearly 14 feet of snow on the ground still at Paradise and no real temperature swings for a few weeks we will be melting out late this year. Unless we start getting into the 60-70 degree range we are looking at late August for flowers this year and a definite challenge for people on the Wonderland Trail starting in June.