Paradise
Snow recreation depends on Nisqually–Paradise road access, weather and winter skills; check avalanche conditions.
December · Paradise
What to see and do in Mount Rainier in December
Choose a December outing that fits the route, weather and effort involved.
Longmire
A lower-elevation alternative when the Paradise road gate prevents reaching the higher area.
December · Longmire
Mount Rainier weather in December
December’s normal high is 36°F and low is 25°F, with 12.42 inches of precipitation. The Longmire station sits inside the park at about 2,762 ft, near Longmire and the National Park Inn. These normals describe that lower district. Paradise and Sunrise are much higher and can be colder and snowier. Use a forecast for your planned stops; these monthly values cannot establish road openings or trail snow conditions.
Cooler Hotter
Jan
High37°F
Low26°F
Precip · in11.45
Feb
High40°F
Low26°F
Precip · in8.60
Mar
High45°F
Low28°F
Precip · in7.55
Apr
High51°F
Low31°F
Precip · in5.93
May
High60°F
Low37°F
Precip · in4.75
Jun
High66°F
Low42°F
Precip · in3.70
Jul
High75°F
Low46°F
Precip · in1.22
Aug
High76°F
Low46°F
Precip · in1.49
Sep
High69°F
Low42°F
Precip · in3.50
Oct
High55°F
Low35°F
Precip · in9.00
Nov
High43°F
Low29°F
Precip · in12.96
Dec
High36°F
Low25°F
Precip · in12.42
Mount Rainier crowds in December
December averages 19,405 recreation visits, 5% of the peak monthly average in July.
LowestLowModerateHighPeakAverage month: 137,035December
Tips for your December visit
Check the approach before choosing the rest of the day.
ANisqually EntranceBWhite River EntranceCStevens Canyon EntranceDCarbon River EntranceEMowich Lake Entrance
- Park boundary
Nisqually Entrance
Nisqually is the normal winter vehicle approach; Paradise has a weather-dependent gate schedule.
How we built this page.
An independent guide using official data. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service.
- Crowds
- 2021–2025 monthly averages. NPS recreation visits, compared with the park’s own busiest month. Visits are not unique visitors or a count of people on a trail.
- Weather
- 1991-2020 climate normals. NOAA’s Longmire Rainier NPS, WA station. These describe typical weather at the station, not every part of the park or a forecast.
- Roads & lodging
- Normal seasonal schedules. NPS guidance and official operator information. Confirm access, hours and availability before you travel.
Historical records and data-quality checks
- Visit history: 1979–2025 NPS monthly recreation visits.
- Weather history: 1978–2025 daily observations, separate from climate normals. We average daily highs and lows and total the rain for each month.
- Complete months only: every day must pass our quality checks for that metric. Missing or incomplete records stay blank; we never interpolate.
- Excluded measurements: flagged, presumed-zero and lagged values. Trace rain counts as zero measurable rainfall.