Mount Rainier in winter.

Getting to Paradise.

Winter at Mount Rainier runs through one entrance. The park is open all year, but in winter only the Nisqually Entrance, in the southwest corner on SR 706 past Ashford, is open to reach Longmire and Paradise, and most park roads are closed for winter. The road from the entrance to Longmire stays open all winter except in extreme weather. Paradise is 12 miles above Longmire, about 25 minutes, per NPS. Coming from the east, NPS sends winter drivers west on US 12 to SR 7 in Morton, then SR 706 to the Nisqually Entrance, because SR 123 and SR 410 are closed. NPS also warns that GPS may send you to the wrong entrance or a closed gate, and rerouting can take hours.

The road from Longmire to Paradise closes every night in winter so the park can check it for safety. The typical schedule, conditions permitting: the gate opens at 9 a.m., the uphill gate closes at 4 p.m., and the downhill gate closes at 5 p.m. NPS recommends leaving Paradise by 4:30 p.m. so you're through the Longmire gate before it locks. The gate can open late, close early, or stay closed all day because of weather, avalanche danger, or road conditions. Check the park's Alerts after 4 p.m. the day before and again after 7 a.m. the day you go, and while you wait at Longmire, park in the lot, not in a traffic lane. When Paradise's lots fill, rangers may meter traffic at the gate, letting one vehicle up for each one that comes down.

Carry chains from November 1 to May 1. Every vehicle in the park must have tire chains or state-approved alternative traction devices on board the whole time, in any weather, and four-wheel and all-wheel drive vehicles are not exempt. The NPS tire chain FAQ explains why the rule is strict: at 5,400 feet, Paradise is much higher than most of Washington's highway passes, and the park's roads aren't as wide and don't have as many safety pullouts as a state highway. Autosocks count for passenger vehicles under 10,000 pounds, and heavier vehicles must carry a second set of chains. Make sure your chains fit and practice putting them on before you need them.

Signs tell you what the day requires. "Approved Traction Tires Advised" means patches of snow or ice ahead. "Chains Required Except 4WD" means chains on the drive wheels, though AWD and 4WD vehicles may go on without them if they have snow tires on all four wheels, are in four-wheel drive, and carry a set of chains. "Chains Required All Vehicles" means chains on the drive wheels of every vehicle. Fill the tank before you come, because there's no gas in the park, and bring extra food in case you're delayed.

Carbon River and Mowich Lake, in the northwest corner, have no public access from SR 165: the Fairfax Bridge outside the park is closed to vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians, with no alternate route. Sunrise, on the northeast side, is out for winter too. In a normal year the road to Sunrise and White River closes for winter in mid-October or earlier, and in 2026 the Sunrise area has been closed since August 13 because of the Grand Park 2 and Wonderland Complex fires, with Sunrise Road open only to walkers and cyclists from September 5. Our Mount Rainier road closures page has every road's season.

Snowshoeing, sledding, and avalanche safety.

Paradise is where winter happens. Once the snow is deep enough, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowboarding, and winter camping can all start from the edge of the Paradise parking lot. No reservations are needed to visit, and the only fee is the park entrance fee, though winter camping needs a permit. On weekends you can warm up in the Jackson Visitor Center, see the exhibits and film, and ask a ranger about trail conditions and permits.

Ranger-guided snowshoe walks at Paradise are usually on Saturdays and Sundays, typically from late December through March, as staffing allows. They start at 11 a.m. inside the Jackson Visitor Center, near the information desk, and are first-come, first-served, with sign-ups opening an hour before. A walk covers about 1.5 miles in 2 hours and takes up to 25 people, ages 8 and older, and it can be canceled at any time. To go on your own, Mount Rainier Guest Services rents snowshoes at the Longmire General Store from late November through March, depending on snow, first come with no advance reservations: $25 for a full day and $11 for children 12 and under, per its winter page. Store hours differ by source: the NPS hours page lists 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily from September 8 into January 2027, while the concessioner lists winter weekend hours of 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call ahead before you plan an early start.

Sledding is allowed in only one place, the Paradise Sledding Area, north of the upper parking lot. The rest of the Paradise area has avalanche zones, unstable snow bridges, and steep drop-offs. The sledding area is generally open late December through mid-March, and runs open only when the snow is deep enough to prevent damage. Use inner tubes, plastic sleds, saucers, or other soft devices; wooden toboggans and runner sleds with metal edges aren't allowed. Check before you promise the kids a sled day. In October 2024 NPS said the area wasn't expected to open that winter because of limited staffing, and its winter recreation page says the sledding area did not open for the 2025-2026 season. NPS hadn't posted a status for winter 2026-27 when we checked in September 2026. When snow play isn't available, NPS suggests snowshoeing at Paradise instead.

Dogs aren't allowed on trails or on snow, but they can walk on plowed roads and parking lots. Beyond the parking lot, plan for avalanches. NPS says they're common in winter and spring, and the greatest danger is one you trigger yourself while skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, or climbing in avalanche terrain. Check the weather forecast and the avalanche hazard before you start, and carry an avalanche transceiver, probe, and shovel along with the 10 essentials, per the NPS Paradise winter page.

Where to sleep.

The National Park Inn at Longmire is the only lodging in the park open year-round. It sits at 2,700 feet in the Longmire Historic District, with 25 guest rooms, a full-service dining room, and a general store; book through Rainier Guest Services or call 360-569-2275. The Paradise Inn is generally open mid-May through early October, so it isn't an option in winter, per the NPS lodging page. In 2026 the NPS hours page lists it open May 16 to October 5.

None of the drive-in campgrounds is open in winter. Cougar Rock's typical season is late May to early October, White River opens only in summer, and Ohanapecosh is closed for all of 2026. Winter camping from Paradise needs a permit. Our Mount Rainier camping page has the summer seasons, and our Mount Rainier airports page covers the drive to the Nisqually Entrance.

How quiet winter really is.

February is the quietest month at Mount Rainier, averaging about 16,000 recreation visits against 421,000 in July. November runs 7% of July's visits, December 5%, January 6%, February 4%, and March 6%.

Quiet across the park doesn't mean an empty Paradise. NPS notes that even in winter the Paradise parking lot can fill quickly on sunny days, which is when gate metering starts. So is Mount Rainier worth visiting in winter? Yes, if you want deep snow, a ranger snowshoe walk, and the mountain with a small share of summer's visitors. It's the wrong season if you want Sunrise, the east side, or a sunset at Paradise, since the gate locks at night. The best time to visit Mount Rainier page weighs winter against the rest of the year.

Daylight and cold.

On December 21 the sun rises at 7:49 a.m. and sets at 4:21 p.m. at the Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center at Paradise, per the U.S. Naval Observatory, which leaves 8 hours 32 minutes of daylight. That sunset comes around the time NPS recommends leaving Paradise, 4:30 p.m., so a midwinter day up there is short. By March 21 sunset is 7:21 p.m., on daylight time.

NOAA 1991-2020 normals at the Longmire station (USC00454764, 2,762 ft) put December's average high at 36°F and low at 25°F, and January's at 37°F and 26°F, with about 34 inches of snow in December and 33 in January. Treat those as preview numbers: we haven't finished reviewing that station for this park. Paradise sits at 5,400 feet, more than 2,600 feet above the station, so expect colder air there. NPS says the snow arrives in late October.

Common questions.

Is Mount Rainier worth visiting in winter?

Yes, if you plan around the gate and chains. February averages 4% of July's visits, rangers usually lead snowshoe walks at Paradise on weekends from late December through March, and cross-country skiing and snowshoeing start from the Paradise parking lot once the snow is deep. The tradeoffs: Nisqually is the only winter entrance, the Longmire gate closes nightly and typically opens at 9 a.m., every vehicle must carry chains from November 1 to May 1, and Sunrise and the east side are closed.

Does Mount Rainier close in the winter?

No. The park is open all year, 24 hours a day. In winter, though, most roads are closed, only the Nisqually Entrance is open to reach Longmire and Paradise, and the road from Longmire to Paradise closes every night, typically reopening at 9 a.m. if conditions allow. Check the park's Alerts for the gate status after 4 p.m. the day before you go.

Where these facts come from

The winter entrance, the Longmire gate schedule, gate checks, metering, traction signs, autosocks, heavier vehicles, gas, and the late-October snow come from the NPS Winter Travel page. The November 1 to May 1 chain rule and why it is strict come from the NPS tire chain FAQ. The winter route from the east, the Longmire road, GPS warnings, mileage, and the Sunrise season come from the NPS directions page and the NPS road status page; the 2026 fire closure from the NPS current conditions page; Carbon River and Mowich Lake from the NPS Carbon River and Mowich page; the year-round, 24-hour opening from the NPS hours page. Paradise activities, snowshoe walks, the sledding area and its 2024 staffing note, dogs, fees, the visitor center, and avalanche guidance come from the NPS Enjoy a Winter Wonderland at Paradise page; the 2025-2026 sledding status from the NPS winter recreation page. Snowshoe rentals, prices, and the concessioner's store hours come from Mount Rainier Guest Services. Lodge seasons come from the NPS lodging page, and the NPS store hours and Paradise Inn's 2026 dates from the NPS hours page; campground seasons from the NPS campgrounds page and NPS campground data. Sunrise and sunset come from the U.S. Naval Observatory for 2026 in local clock time. Temperatures and snowfall are NOAA 1991-2020 normals at Longmire (USC00454764), a preview station. Road lines and pins are OpenStreetMap geometry routed by OSRM (© OpenStreetMap contributors). Crowd numbers are five-year monthly means (2021 to 2025) of recreation visits from the NPS Visitor Use Statistics Data Package on NPS IRMA Stats. Independent site, not affiliated with the National Park Service.