Mount Rainier National Park

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POV: You went looking for the tail-end of summer on Mount Rainier but found the first signs of fall. Grab your flannels ...
09/07/2026

POV: You went looking for the tail-end of summer on Mount Rainier but found the first signs of fall.

Grab your flannels and steaming drink of choice—crisp fall air, changing foliage, and woolly caterpillars are signaling an end to summer! What are your go-to autumn rituals when visiting the mountain? Drop them below!

NPS video of an orange and black caterpillar with white bristly spikey longer hairs, featuring a distinct rusty-orange band around its middle bordered by solid black end as it explores the green, scaley foliage of a cedar tree.

NPS photos

What is your favorite animal you’ve seen in the wild? Did you see it at Mount Rainier? Mount Rainier National Park is ho...
09/04/2026

What is your favorite animal you’ve seen in the wild? Did you see it at Mount Rainier?

Mount Rainier National Park is home to many wild animals, including mammals, birds, amphibians, insects, and more! While wildlife sightings (including bears!) are very common, it's important to keep a safe distance from any animals seen in the wild.

While hiking and viewing wildlife, please remember to:
- Keep at least 150 feet away from any wildlife (about 50 yards or 45 meters) and don't approach the wildlife. For bears the recommended distance is 300 feet away. Bring a pair of binoculars to view wildlife from a safe distance.
-Avoid feeding any wildlife. Human food is harmful to an animal’s health, increases their reliance on humans for food, decreases their ability to hunt in the wild, and changes their behaviors. It creates more risks for other visitors, such as wildlife becoming more aggressive to try to get food.
- For your safety don't touch wildlife, they may react and bite.
- Make plenty of noise when hiking to avoid surprising any wildlife.

Thank you for doing your part to keep wildlife and yourself safe. To learn more about Mount Rainier’s wildlife, visit: https://go.nps.gov/MountRainierAnimals

Image Credit: NPS/J Quale. A deer in a meadow at Paradise at sunset, 7/20/26.

Due to improving weather and fire conditions, White River Road (from SR 410 to the White River Campground), along with s...
09/03/2026

Due to improving weather and fire conditions, White River Road (from SR 410 to the White River Campground), along with select trails and backcountry sites in the Sunrise area, will reopen Saturday morning, September 5, 2026.

White River and Sunrise Access as of 9/5/2026:

- White River Road and Campground: OPEN

- Sunrise & Sunrise Road: CLOSED to public vehicles from the White River Road junction. Pedestrian and bicycle access will be permitted on Sunrise Road. Exercise caution and be prepared to share the road with park and fire vehicles.

- Updated Area Trail CLOSURES:
- Wonderland Trail between Carbon River and Frozen Lake.
- Mount Fremont Trail
- Northern Loop Trail
- Huckleberry Creek/Forest Lake Trail from Sourdough Ridge to Huckleberry Trailhead
- Lake Eleanor Trail

- Updated Backcountry Camp CLOSURES: Lake Eleanor, Forest Lake, Berkeley Park, Fire Creek, Granite Creek. Mystic Lake, Lake James, Yellowstone Cliffs, and Dick Creek camps

Check the park Wildland Fire webpage for more information www.nps.gov/mora/learn/news/fire.htm

NPS graphic

Bear Addresses Trash Rumors (Press Conference Transcript): Reporter: Evidence shows you’ve been digging into dumpsters.B...
09/03/2026

Bear Addresses Trash Rumors (Press Conference Transcript):

Reporter: Evidence shows you’ve been digging into dumpsters.

Bear: Your trash is my treasure. Wrappers, crumbs, orange peels, apple cores, smelly stuff—you leave it, I will eat it. Next thing you know, I’m knocking on your car looking for seconds. If you don’t want me going through your trash, making a mess, lock that trash up GOOD.

Reporter: Photos circulating show you’re also tearing up backpacks for snacks, too.

Bear: I admit, it’s been a rough berry year. I gotta do what I gotta do if you’re gonna leave your lunch lying around.

Reporter: How do you feel about pictures?

Bear: I may be a star—a constellation even—but I don’t like paparazzi in my face while I’m eating. You heard of a zoom lens? Look it up!

Reporter: Authorities have said you’re used to being around humans.

Bear: Listen, y’all are in buffet zone so I can’t help it. But you need to give me some space!

Reporter: What’s your comfort zone?

Bear: I ain’t ya teddy bear. You can look but you can’t touch. Stay at least 8 school buses apart. That‘s 100 yards to be exact.

Reporter: How do you feel about surprises?

Bear: Hate ’em. Talk. Clap. Make some noise on the trail but I beg y’all to give the boombox a rest. Just give ya boy a heads-up so I can mind my bear business and you can mind yours.

Reporter: Any final words?

Bear: This ain’t just about your safety. I’m trying to keep me and the wild fam outta trouble. Stay bear aware. Keep the wildlife wild—and safe. Period.

For more, visit: nps.gov/subjects/bears/safety.htm

NPS Photo Graphic / Filo Merid

With a holiday weekend comes crowds and congestion throughout the park. To avoid congestion, plan to arrive early or lat...
09/03/2026

With a holiday weekend comes crowds and congestion throughout the park. To avoid congestion, plan to arrive early or late in the day at trailheads and busy areas such as Paradise.

- For more tips on avoiding summer congestion visit: https://go.nps.gov/1v7ore

- View the Paradise East we**am to get an idea of parking conditions: https://go.nps.gov/RainierWebcams

- Have a backup plan in case parking is full at your destination.

- Download the free National Park Service app ahead of your visit to find things to do and explore a new area of the park.

- Check road status when planning your route at https://go.nps.gov/MORAroads

- Check visitor center and other facility hours at https://go.nps.gov/MORAhours

NPS Photo of a completely full Paradise parking lot.

09/01/2026

On today's episode of Law & Order: Meadow Victims Unit, we remember the wildflowers whose lives were cut tragically short.

Case: Dead Bouquets.
Cause of death: Picked and discarded.
Suspect: Human interference.

They had plans. They had pollinators to feed. Seeds to spread. Many more summers to bloom. Instead, they became bouquets. Souvenirs that wilted almost as soon as they were picked. This outcome was entirely preventable.

Please do not pick wildflowers. Leave them where they bloom so that the meadows continue to thrive.

NPS Video / Filo Merid. For an audio described version, visit: youtube.com/shorts/JewpKfwCQgs

POV: You came for that iconic bear photo but became a pro at marmot sploot photography! No worries, it happens to the be...
08/31/2026

POV: You came for that iconic bear photo but became a pro at marmot sploot photography!

No worries, it happens to the best of us. Maybe we idolize the marmot lifestyle--splooting (stretching out on their bellies) on rocks for hours in the sun, screaming for full dramatic effect whenever they are alarmed, and eating all summer and fall to get through a winter’s hibernation. Now, that’s the life!!!

Whether you took wildlife photos, wandered through old-growth forest, or hiked the Wonderland Trail, we want to hear what you’ve been up to! Drop your latest Mount Rainier adventures in the comments below!

Finally, photographers, protect wildlife by using a telephoto lens, ditching the flash, keeping a safe distance, and never altering animal behavior or habitats. For good measure, avoid crushing delicate life underfoot or under a tripod.

NPS photo

August 31, 2026, update on the wildfires burning in and adjacent to Mount Rainier National Park.𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿...
08/31/2026

August 31, 2026, update on the wildfires burning in and adjacent to Mount Rainier National Park.

𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀:
North side closures due to Grand Park 2 & Wonderland Complex Fires:
- Sunrise Road
- White River Road
- All trails originating from the Sunrise and White River Roads, and all trails in the Grand Park area.
- Northern Loop Trail & associated backcountry camps
- Wonderland Trail from Carbon River Suspension Bridge to White River Campground & associated backcountry camps.

South side closures due to Plummer Peak Fire:
- Butter Creek Research Natural Area is CLOSED south of Pinnacle Peak Trail to the southern park boundary.
- Pinnacle Peak Trail is open as of 8/31/26.
- Stevens Canyon Road remains open.

𝗪𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀
The Wonderland Complex initially included five fires on the northeast side of the park within the West Fork of the White River drainage: Sluiskin, West Fork, White River, Garda Falls, and Pigeon Fires. As of 8/26/26, the White River and Sluiskin fires were absorbed into the West Fork fire.
- Combined Size: 378 acres (West Fork: 299 acres, Pigeon: 8 acres, Garda Falls: 69 acres)
- Containment: 0%
- Date of Origin: 8/24/26
- Cause of Origin: Lightning

𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝟮 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲
The Grand Park 2 Fire is approximately three miles north of the Sunrise Visitor Center in the Grand Park area of Mount Rainier National Park.
- Size: 168 acres
- Containment: 88%
- Date of Origin: 8/7/26
- Cause of Origin: Lightning

𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗯𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲
The Backbone Fire is burning just south of the southeast park border in Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
- Size: 17 acres
- Containment: 89%
- Date of Origin: 8/5/26
- Cause of Origin: Lightning

𝗣𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲
The Plummer Peak Fire is burning near Pinnacle Peak Trail on the southern border of the park.
- Size: 0.5 acres
- Containment: 100%
- Date of Origin: 8/23/26
- Cause of Origin: Lightning

For more information about fires in the park: https://go.nps.gov/MountRainierFire

You never know who's watching from the shadows of the forest! This photo was captured just before this bull elk moved de...
08/30/2026

You never know who's watching from the shadows of the forest!

This photo was captured just before this bull elk moved deeper into the trees. Although elks' bodies are a lighter tan, their dark legs and necks provide natural camouflage by mimicking the vertical shadows of the forest. This contrast breaks up their silhouette against the forest floor, making them much harder to spot. Combined with their tendency to freeze when they sense danger, their coloring helps them blend into their surroundings.

Have you seen wildlife that seemed to disappear into the scenery? Share your encounter below!

NPS photo

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