Roads & Rainier: What a bridge closure, construction and timed-entry permits mean for hikers, backpackers and campers this summer
A bridge closure, road work, timed-entry permits and short staffing in Mount Rainier National Park mean hikers will need to pack plenty of patience and flexibility this summer.
A bridge closure, road work and timed-entry permits in Mount Rainier National Park mean hikers will need to pack patience and flexibility when they visit the park this summer. And, as the park and other federal land managers are likely to be short-staffed this summer, it will be extra important to be good stewards when visiting Mount Rainier and all public lands.
Bridge closure cuts off trailheads, shifts backpacking plans
The Fairfax Bridge is closed indefinitely due to safety concerns. Photo courtesy of the Washington State Department of Transportation.
In the northwest corner of the park, the Carbon River Fairfax Bridge, which is 3 miles south of Carbonado on SR 165, has been permanently closed to all traffic, including bikes and pedestrians. This means that the Carbon River Road and Mowich Lake Road are inaccessible via SR 165. The Washington state Department of Transportation closed the bridge because it was no longer safe to use. There is no funding to replace the bridge and the state is considering next steps.
For hikers, this means that many popular day hikes will be unavailable, including those that start from the Carbon River Ranger Station and from Mowich Lake. The local communities and businesses in the Carbon River corridor who rely on visitors to boost their local economies will also see impacts.
Backpackers who have permits that start or end in that corner of the park will need to adjust their reservations. Those folks have been receiving emails from the park. Note that a permit is required to stay overnight anywhere in the Mount Rainier backcountry.
For Wonderland hikers who start or end their trip in the area affected by the bridge closure, the park has told hikers to consider keeping most of their campsite reservations and adjusting the start and/or end of the trip. To change your start date, you will need to make a new reservation. The exception to that is for backpackers who are keeping the same start date, they can add on additional dates to the end of their trip at recreation.gov. To change the start date of a trip, hikers have two options. To keep most of the trip, but start up to 3 days later, email morawildernessreservations@nps.gov and indicate the dates you would like to drop. Otherwise, cancel your trip and book a new one with a new start date.
No food cache will be available this year at Mowich Lake. They are still available at Longmire and White River. No food caching is allowed outside of those designated locations.
Contact the park or email morawildernessreservations@nps.gov if you have additional questions.
Trailheads in the northwest corner of the park that originate at Carbon River or Mowich will be difficult to access, and Wonderland Trail hikers will need to make some itinerary and food cache adjustments this summer. Photo by Alan Walker
Roads & road work: expect delays
As of late April, many roads are still closed for the season. Check the status of roads on the parks webpage.
Planned work on a 2.8 mile section of SR 123 from April until October has already started. The area is from Laughingwater Creek bridge to Panther Creek bridge. The road will be reduced to one lane and visitors can expect delays of up to a half hour. Additionally, from Sept. 2–30 a section of SR 123 from Stevens Canyon Road to Panther Creek will be fully closed (including to bikes and pedestrians) for new culverts to be installed. During this time, visitors would need to make a several hour detour to travel between the southeast corner of the park, near Ohanapecosh Campground, and Sunrise in the northeast of the park. Get more information on the park’s construction FAQ page.
1. The area inaccessible from the Fairfax/Carbon bridge closure (blue). 2. Weekday road work (purple.) 3. One-lane delays, September closure on SR 123 (yellow). 4. Timed-entry reservations needed for entry beginning on July 11 (green).
The park will also do work to preserve pavement on roads, parking areas and pullouts on weekdays from May 5 to Sept. 22. Drivers may see delays of up to 30 minutes.
The work stretches from the west-side entrances to the Steven's Canyon on the east side of Mount Rainier including:
- Nisqually-Paradise Road
- Longmire Area
- Cougar Rock Campground
- Paradise area, including parking lots and picnic area
- Paradise Valley Road
- Stevens Canyon Road to Stevens Canyon entrance
Before you visit the park, check the website for a detailed, updated schedule.
Campgrounds
Ohanapecosh Campground: The campground will be closed until the end of 2025. Work is being done to improve accessibility as well as update the entire campground, including campsites, restrooms, electrical, water and wastewater systems. During this time, no access is allowed to the campground or any of its facilities and no reservations can be made. During this time, the Silver Falls trailhead in the campground is closed, although the trail can be hiked from the Grove of the Patriarchs trailhead along the Eastside Trail. The Silver Falls trail cannot be hiked as a loop during the closure.
Cougar Rock Campground: The campground will be closed for pavement preservation work, for Monday-Thursday, from Aug. 4-7 and Aug. 11-14. If the work allows, some sites may open during this time. See recreation.gov to check for available reservation.
Timed-entry permits
Timed-entry reservations will be required at the Sunrise area of Mount Rainier National Park this summer. Permits will be required from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day between July 11 and Sept. 1, as well as weekends and holidays from Sept. 2 through the end of the season (typically mid-October). Some timed-entry reservations are released online 60 days in advance in blocks — reservations for July 11–31 will be released at 8 a.m. on May 16, and reservations for Aug. 1–Sept. 1 will be released at 8 a.m. on June 6. Additional reservations will be released at 7 p.m. each evening for the following day, on a daily rolling basis. For days requiring reservations on Sept. 2 and after, advance reservations will only be available starting 7 p.m. the day before. Reservations can be made at recreation.gov and cost $2. Note that in the addition to the permit, you will need to pay the entry fee or present a standard park pass.
News updates
Sign up for Trail News and check alerts in our Hiking Guide. We’ll share updates when there is more information.
If you hike in the park this summer, be sure to check the park’s website and WTA trip reports before you head out. And, when you’re back, be sure to take a couple minutes to post a trip report and help other hikers know what to expect.
Comments