Cycling Mt. Rainier - an extraordinary experience.

Mount Rainier National Park – Nisqually River Entrance

Ride 22 miles gaining 3,635’ at 3.1% average grade

to the Henry Jackson Visitor Center (western approach).

Mt. Rainier is located in the Cascade subrange of the Pacific Coast Mountain Range and is the highest point in Washington state at 14,417’.

Mt. Rainier as seen from Kerry Park in Seattle.

Climb report from PJAMM Cycling’s Steve Jones of Olympia, Washington.

Mount Rainier, at 14,411 feet, is the highest peak in Washington State and the fifth highest in the contiguous United States.  It is also the highest concentration of glaciers in the lower 48.

Two roads allow cyclists to travel high on the mountain:  Sunrise Road (6,400 ft.) on the eastern side of the peak, and Paradise Road (5,416 ft.) on the southern slopes.  The latter is the most popular destination for tourists (and cyclists) because of its accessibility from the population centers of Puget Sound. Paradise is also the highest point achieved on the annual 156-mile RAMROD cycling event (Ride Around Mount Rainier in One Day).

Christine Falls.

The Paradise Visitors Center (full services) is an 18-mile, 3,400-foot climb from the park’s Nisqually River Entrance.  Logical places to start the ride include the Ashford County Park (water, restrooms, parking) on the west edge of the small town of Ashford (full services), six miles outside the park entrance, or the Kautz Creek pull-out, three miles inside the park (parking, restrooms, no water).

Nisqually River Bridge.

Starting from the park entrance (2,003 ft.), the park headquarters at Longmire (2,757 ft., full services) is reached after five miles, the gradient increases notably, and the switchbacks begin, as do scenic vistas of the mountain, the Nisqually River, and Christine and Narada Falls.  From Paradise, cyclists can traverse one mile to aptly named Reflection Lakes (often snow-covered) and continue to descend Stevens Canyon to the eastern edge of the park at Ohanapecosh (1,914 ft.), or descend back to the Nisqually entrance.

The Paradise Road.

Douglas Fir exhibit at Longmire Museum - Mile 10.5

Dates in the life of a really old tree.

Narada Falls and the Paradise Road.

The interior of the Paradise Inn, a 1916 guest lodge listed in the National Register of Historic Places, is worth viewing.

Due to recent repaving, the descent from Paradise is fast and smooth.  The park has a single-file rule for cyclists; please observe.

Photos - NPS.

History of the lodge:

As the need increased for a hotel and other services in the Paradise area, a corporation of local Tacoma businessmen from Tacoma formed the Rainier National Park Company (RNPC) and began construction of the Paradise Inn. John Reese sold his camp to RNPC in 1916 to house construction crews as they worked on the new first-class Paradise Inn. In spite of the short construction season, the crew nearly completed the Paradise Inn during the summer of 1916 at an initial cost of $91,000, not including furnishings or equipment. His decorative woodwork that still exists today was designed by Hans Frahnke, a German carpenter, who stayed in the inn during the winter of 1919. His craftsmanship includes imposing cedar chairs and tables, a rustic piano, and an ornate grandfather clock.  (Mt. Rainier Guest Services - Paradise Lodge). 

Mt. Rainier was first ascended in 1870 by Hazard Stevens and Philemon Van Trump.  The fourth ascent was made in 1888 by John Muir.

Paradise (5,416 ft.).

Dennis Peck, Rick Peterson, and Steve Jones at Reflection Lakes.

If you turn right at Ruby Falls (mile 19.9) and drive a half mile south to Inspiration Point,

 you’ll get photo opps like those above with the awesome Mt. Rainier backdrop.

Thank you Mollie and Daniel!!