[HikingBex]

Collecting input through June 11, 2023, with potential to implement in Summer 2024. More details and link to provide input here: https://www.nps.gov/mora/learn/news/mount-rainier-national-park-seeks-public-input-on-a-draft-plan-to-implement-timed-entry-reservations-during-peak-visitation.htm

[Huron]

The PDF opens with this photo of apparent congestion which is at the gate, not in the park. Same shot on a winter weekday would look like what? They just need more entry gates and longer hours.

[Cyclopath]

I don't have patience for the entry gate, I go elsewhere. The only times I've gone to hike at Rainier in the last several summers have been for night hikes, arriving at Paradise or Sunrise at 4 or 5 pm and leaving after enjoying blue hour and a starry sky. It's just not on the table otherwise.

[zimmertr]

I just wish they had a lane dedicated to America the Beautiful pass holders where you just flash it and then keep driving.

[fourteen410]

^ was just going to say this. This would speed things up immensely.

[Kim Brown]

[Kim Brown]

Thanks for the heads up on this, HikingBex!

[Cyclopath]

A shuttle bus would solve this problem. I know the argument is we can put a man on the moon but we can't build a parking lot near the mountain.

[Sore Feet]

There's plenty of room to build a parking lot outside of the park near Ashford. They could even route Shuttle Buses down Skate Creek Road and in to the park via the backdoor maintenance road that goes to the old Longmire Campground if they wanted to avoid the entrance station clog. It seems like they're functionally writing off the possibility of an extensive shuttle bus system with this proposal however. The parking capacity of a converted Cougar Rock picnic area for the shuttle terminus as proposed is almost laughable, and it most likely won't be utilized enough to keep it running if they implement it in addition to timed access permits. The best option would be parking permits specific to Paradise and Sunrise, with half (or more) of them released less than a week ahead of time so there's still opportunity for spontaneous-ish trips, and a supplementary shuttle bus that runs from Ashford to Paradise, with stops at all the major spots (Kautz, Longmire, Cougar Rock, Comet Falls, Ricksetter Point, Narada Falls). Give people the option to enter the park as a pedestrian via the bus, which is cheaper than paying for a vehicle, and I'd bet it'd get used heavily. There are some good ideas in this thing though: the connector trail from Longmire to Kautz is much needed, as is the trail from Cougar Rock to the Comet Falls Trailhead. Eliminating the roadside parking near the Comet Falls TH is also a good thing since people love to basically park two wheels still on the road there.

[thunderhead]

Extra lanes at nisqually, including a passholders only lane, and expanded parking at sunrise and paradise. Such an obvious and easy solution... way too obvious and easy for our government to ever choose that.

[ejain]

[kiliki]

I'm not sure how passholder lanes or other ideas to get people through the gates faster would help given the parking issues. In fact it seems like it would worsen things. Unless like thunderbird everyone just wants big new parking lots at Paradise and Sunrise. I too don't understand why shuttles aren't on the table. The park had them once and lost them to budget cuts, so they at least know how they could work. People love them at Sequoia. You can do some cool one way hikes using a shuttle. And people love those red buses at Glacier.

[Slugman]

Put in a tram to Paradise and completely remove the road. Then a shuttle bus to get to the tram. Parking could then be miles away.

[thunderhead]

[altasnob]

I hike probably 10 hikes a summer at MRNP, a lot of those on weekends in July and August and don't have any problems with crowds. I go early (get to the gates before 7) or just go places like Carbon River that doesn't have a gate. If they implement this timed entry proposal I assume, just like camping, all the spots will be immediately booked up. Then half the people will no show. It appears the timed entry reservation would start at 7 am, so you can always get around that by going early. But it will really suck if you are heading to the Westside Road on a Tuesday in July and get to the gate at 7:15 am and told you have to turn around becuase all reservations spots are full (even though the gate would be empty at that time and day and there would be like 4 other people at the Westside Road then). Just another example of humans thinking they can "solve" things with technology when really they just make things worse.