#recreate responsibly

[noaasanctuaries]

"Hands down, best fish taco I've ever had in my life." - Sydney Fife

While we wouldn't recommend eating this fish taco... there are other opportunities to find a good catch in Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary! Emerging technologies are making your trip to the sanctuary safer and more enjoyable for anglers and divers alike. Learn more by visiting: https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/visit/2020-giys-activities.html#grnms. (Photo: Greg McFall/NOAA. Image description: A fish floating in a pink taco shell-shaped coral.)

[americasgreatoutdoors]

Trying to play peekaboo with wildlife? You otter know better. While they are well suited to life in the cold waters of the North Pacific with thick, water resistant fur and flipper-like hind feet, a sea otter's forelimbs are used mostly for foraging and grooming. That means their little hands are highly skilled. Opening clams and crushing crabs keeps them fed. Hunted to the edge of extinction by the early 1900s, sea otters populations are on the road to recovery. Photo from Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge by Lisa Hupp, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

[mountrainiernps]

In looking forward to the possibilities of 2021, it’s nice to look back through memories too. Considering the options that may exist in the summer of 2021, have you looked at photo albums to remember what you’ve done? Maybe you’ve strolled through the stories of your past and found a few gems? Some favorite Mount Rainier memories that you cherish and keep close.

What is your favorite Mount Rainier memory? Was it hiking through a subalpine wildflower meadow or snowshoeing through a subalpine meadow blanketed in deep in snow? Did you savor a solo wilderness experience or find family fun on a day hike? From stunning views at roadside pullouts to amazing adventures on trails and climbs, what stands out in your memory of times at Mount Rainier? ~ams

NPS/NAB Photo. Mount Rainier and Hessong Rock with clouds and silhouetted fir trees. October, 1969. NPS/Spillane Photo. Tipsoo Lake surrounded by wildflowers. Mount Rainier in the background. August, 2013.

[mountrainiernps]

They say that half the park is after dark. So when was the last time you spent an evening or part of night enjoy the dark skies over Mount Rainier?

Did you enjoy the slow slide from sunset into twilight and counted as the stars slowly appeared one by one? Being a bit away from the big city lights, there are some great places in the national park for enjoying views of the stars and planets. With all the news about comets and the Perseid meteor shower, maybe you’re thinking back to your more night sky memories?

Some folks have set up beside their parked car at Sunrise, others stepped outside their tent in the wilderness. There are many great places in the park with big chunks of sky visible. What has been your favorite?

Please remember that sleeping in your car in a parking lot in the park is not allowed. If you need rest, please use a permitted backcountry camping site or a site at a park campground for sleeping. Thank you. ~ams

NPS/Dreimiller Photo. Sunset from Camp Muir on Mount Rainier. View over inversion layer of clouds with star visible. 1993. NPS/E. Brouwer Photo. Stars over Mount Rainier viewed from Gobblers Knob. July, 2014.

[mountrainiernps]

This Saturday, September 26, is a fee free day in recognition of National Public Lands Day! Entrance fees are waived in all national parks and many other public lands. Even if you can't visit Mount Rainier, we encourage you to get outside and enjoy a local park.

This year Mount Rainier National Park is not holding any official volunteer events. Please #RecreateResponsibly and help take care of your public lands. Learn more about National Public Lands Day.

_______ NPS Photo of visitors crossing the suspension bridge to Grove of the Patriarchs, 9/25/19. Description: Two hikers, one holding the hand of a small child, cross a narrow suspension bridge over a river, surrounded by shady trees. ~kl

[mountrainiernps]

Looking back through your memories of visiting national parks, which is better: your last visit of summer or the first visit of fall?

It’s a difficult choice.

The last visit of summer to Mount Rainier can bring sunny, warm temperatures. Getting to stroll around in shorts and sunglasses. Colorful wildflowers filling the meadows with magical scents and even the chance of huckleberries. (Late summer, but still summer.)

Or have your favorite visits to Mount Rainier been in the autumn? Cool, crisp temperatures. The smell of leaves on the ground. Colorful plants spread across the meadows. Wildlife out for one last meal before hibernation or migration. Even the drip of rainfall as the dry season ends and the rainy season begins.

It’s a hard decision, but what has been your favorite? Memories of late summer strolls or early autumn ambles? ~ams

NPS/AS Photo (top). Sign for Naches Peak Loop Trail beside dirt trail through meadow with purple and white wildflowers blooming. August, 2013. NPS/AS Photo (bottom).  Sign for Wonderland Trail with distances to various camps and locations. Plants and shrubs with colored leaves or bare branches. October, 2014.

[mountrainiernps]

There are over 260 miles of maintained trails in Mount Rainier National Park.

Really. 260 MILES. (sorry to shout.)

So many trails. So many views. So many experiences to, well, experience. Even hiking the same trail can be a totally different experience each time.

So which trail is the most memorable to you? Was it the first trail you ever hiked in a national park? Or maybe the first time you saw Mount Rainier? To me, the most memorable trail is the half mile from the Paradise upper parking lot to Myrtle Falls. Technically, it’s one of the starting portions of the Skyline trail but Myrtle Falls makes it a nice out and back all by itself. The first 2 times I walked this trail, I thought it was a nice walk. Interesting plants. The 3rd time, it was amazing. On a foggy morning, I strolled out to look at Edith Creek and the falls, when through the clouds, Mount Rainier loomed large and stole everyone’s attention. My first view of Mount Rainier was a stunner.

So what’s you favorite trail and trail memory? ~ams

Please note that none of these pictures are from this year. Please visit this website for current trail conditions https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/trails-and-backcountry-camp-conditions.htm and for information https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/trails-of-mount-rainier.htm

NPS/C. Roundtree Photo (top). Person stands at railing looking up at Ranger Falls. This is a spur trail off the Green Lake trail in the Carbon River corner of the park. May, 2018.  NPS Photo (middle). Pond surrounded by wildflower meadows on Naches Peak Loop trail, on eastern border of park. Naches Peak in the background. August, 2018. NPS Photo (bottom). Person walking on boardwalk section Trail of Shadows in Longmire beneath towering trees. June, 2018.

[mountrainiernps]

Have you climbed Mount Rainier?

It’s a question a lot of park rangers get asked. A few of us have. Some, quite a few times. Whether climbing for work or recreation, it’s a question of training, endurance, skills (lots of them), equipment, and weather.

But it’s time to turn the tables. Have you ever climbed Mount Rainier?

What made the difference for you? Was it all the physical training that you put in making sure your body could take you to 14,410 feet above sea level? Was it the team you were with and how well you worked together? Maybe having all the skills down cold and using the right equipment? Or did reading the weather correctly make or break your attempt?

What’s your favorite story of climbing the heights of Mount Rainier?

For the latest information on climbing, please see our park climbing webpages https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/climbing.htm , the excellent blog and very detailed information put together by our climbing rangers http://mountrainierclimbing.blogspot.com/ and check out the webcams at the high camps for the latest conditions https://www.nps.gov/mora/learn/photosmultimedia/webcams.htm

Please note that some of these pictures were taken within the last month but that conditions change quickly. Some photos are from last year. Thank you. NPS Photo (top). View from Camp Muir looking down Muir Snowfield and across the Tatoosh Mountains. Mount Adams and Hood are visible in the distance. June, 2020. NPS Photo (middle). View looking down Disappointment Cleaver towards Little Tahoma with sun rising behind. August, 2019. NPS Photo (bottom). Emmons route at bergschrund with tenuous ice bridge over crevasse. June, 2020.