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silence
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PostSun Jan 06, 2019 3:42 pm 
Private vehicles prohibited beyond the Nisqually Entrance Beginning at 3:00 pm on 1/6/19, the park is prohibiting all public vehicle access into the park via the Nisqually entrance near Ashford. This closure to public vehicles is expected to continue until further notice. Private vehicles prohibited beyond the Nisqually Entrance Hazardous travel and limited services prompt closure to public vehicles Update: 1/6/19 The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for lower elevations in Mount Rainier National Park beginning at 10 p.m. Pacific Time Saturday January 5th. The advisory remains in effect through 10 a.m. Sunday January 6th. Significant snow accumulations have begun in the park, including the Longmire and Nisqually Entrance areas, and road travel is expected to deteriorate rapidly. In addition, Rainier Guest Services, the park’s concessioner that operates the National Park Inn, restaurant, and gift shop, will close Sunday mid-day. As a result, there will be no public services including food, restrooms, or snow plowing sufficient for safe public travel anywhere in the park beginning late Sunday. Beginning Sunday afternoon, January 6, the park is prohibiting all public vehicle access into the park via the Nisqually entrance near Ashford. Due to the unavailability of park staff to provide essential public services and ensure continued road safety for visitors, this closure to public vehicles is expected to continue until further notice. People attempting to visit the park on foot are reminded that there is no publicly-available parking outside the park gates and no areas are being maintained for safe public snow play inside the park. Most property surrounding the gates at the Nisqually entrance is privately-owned and any vehicles improperly parked on private lands or blocking park gates may be towed. Traveling by foot on park roads is prohibited and is extremely unsafe, as limited plowing activities must continue to provide emergency access. Updates on park access will be provided as conditions warrant. _ Park visitors are asked to use extreme caution if choosing to enter the park, as personnel will not be available to provide normal levels of assistance and emergency response. Cell phone coverage is not consistent within the park and in many places is unavailable. Entry during the federal shutdown is at visitors’ sole risk.

PHOTOS FILMS Keep a good head and always carry a light bulb. – Bob Dylan
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Schroder
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PostSun Jan 06, 2019 4:23 pm 
I wonder if they're keeping the road plowed past Longmire. If not, it could be a long time into spring until anyone gets up to Paradise again.

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Randito
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PostSun Jan 06, 2019 4:29 pm 
IDK, but the West webcam https://www.nps.gov/customcf/webcam/dsp_webcam_image.cfm?id=81B463E4-1DD8-B71B-0B3E1F3743E9614D Shows a snow covered road. They had been plowing the road, but not the lot. But who knows at this point. If the shutdown lasts for: "weeks or months" driving to Paradise might have to wait for melt out.

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silence
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PostSun Jan 06, 2019 4:33 pm 
During the 21-day shutdown I was worried about that as well, but they managed to keep plowing it some. And, as a recall, the road was opened again fairly quickly after it was resolved.

PHOTOS FILMS Keep a good head and always carry a light bulb. – Bob Dylan
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cascadeclimber
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PostSun Jan 06, 2019 4:54 pm 
So despite a written promise from the park superintendent that it would never again close to the public but be open to for-profit guide services, here we are again. What an effing sad joke MRNP has become.

If not now, when?
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silence
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PostSun Jan 06, 2019 5:09 pm 
Grand Canyon is still mostly open ... but hey, it gets a lot more fed funds to operate, plus the state of AZ is pitching in. https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/news/grand-canyon-np-accessible-to-public-during-partial-government-shutdown-2018-12-22.htm

PHOTOS FILMS Keep a good head and always carry a light bulb. – Bob Dylan
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jared_j
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PostSun Jan 06, 2019 5:48 pm 
I generally agree with this, but will ask: does the park or the NPS contractual arrangement with the guide services expose them to liability if they close for reasons other than inclement weather? I kinda doubt it but if so then there could be a practical reason for allowing the guides in (even if it is philosophically distasteful).
cascadeclimber wrote:
So despite a written promise from the park superintendent that it would never again close to the public but be open to for-profit guide services, here we are again. What an effing sad joke MRNP has become.

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Randito
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PostSun Jan 06, 2019 9:34 pm 
cascadeclimber wrote:
So despite a written promise from the park superintendent that it would never again close to the public but be open to for-profit guide services, here we are again.
Which superintendent wrote that promise? If it is in writing, perhaps you can sue ..

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BigBrunyon
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PostSun Jan 06, 2019 11:23 pm 
At least issue a threat to sue!!! Get em shakin' a bit!

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gb
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PostMon Jan 07, 2019 8:46 am 
cascadeclimber wrote:
So despite a written promise from the park superintendent that it would never again close to the public but be open to for-profit guide services, here we are again. What an effing sad joke MRNP has become.
You should pay attention to what is going on at a larger scale.

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cascadeclimber
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PostMon Jan 07, 2019 10:11 am 
gb wrote:
cascadeclimber wrote:
So despite a written promise from the park superintendent that it would never again close to the public but be open to for-profit guide services, here we are again. What an effing sad joke MRNP has become.
You should pay attention to what is going on at a larger scale.
I have been paying very close attention for a very long time, actually. The issue of closing the park to the public but letting in paying clients of guide services has come up several times, starting in 2006 when the November flood closed the Nisqually road for the entire winter, but guide services were secretly allowed in via a little-known bridge at Longmire. The AAI group that died on Liberty Ridge 2014, including a friend of mine, was allowed through the locked gate on 410 by park staff. But if you are talking about the federal shutdown, you might want to review other parks: Yosemite, among others, is open. And not just the gate; you can go to the valley. Over the last 15 years, MORA has consistently raised fees and provided less and less access to the public. The road at Longmire stays closed more often, the staff has been total dicks to people coming down even a few minutes late, other roads in the park close for winter earlier and for reasons other than weather/snow. "Doing less with more" would be a great motto for them, unless pointless rebuilds of Camp Muir, entirely unnecessary webcams, and high camp internet access for rangers seem more important than actually allowing the public into the park.

If not now, when?
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JimmyBob
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PostTue Jan 08, 2019 4:03 pm 
cascadeclimber wrote:
What an effing sad joke MRNP has become.
Don't generalize staff that has changed many times over over the many years. You just need to be angry at the president, his staff, his family and the voters, if anyone.

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