Take a shuttle
Park visitors can leave the driving to someone else by riding one of two shuttles. One runs from Longmire to Paradise on Fridays through Sundays, while another runs passengers from Ashford to Longmire on Saturdays and Sundays. For a schedule, visit www.nps.gov/mora. Repair work on the Mount Rainier National Park’s Westside Road started Monday, park officials announced recently in a press release.
The work will result in the road being closed to all public access Mondays through Fridays until Sept. 5, the statement said.
The closure applies to all public access including hiking, biking and motor vehicles, the statement said. The closure will extend from the beginning of the Westside Road at its intersection with the main park road to the motor vehicle gate at Fish Creek, according to the statement.
The road, located in the southwest corner of the park will be open to the public on weekends beginning at 5 p.m. on Fridays through midnight on Sundays. It also will be open Labor Day.
The road was damaged during a 2006 flood. According to the statement it is crucial for road repairs to be complete by “the start of the rainy season which occurs around September of each year.”
PEAK AT PARADISE
This weekend might be the time to head to Paradise to see the wildflowers. That was the recommendation from Roger Andrascik, chief of natural resource management at the park.
He said the flowers are at their peak, but visitors should not expect to see the diversity of flowers one typically sees. “Some of the late bloomers have to open because of the late start this season,” he said.
While there are still blooms at Sunrise, Andrascik said that area has passed its peak.
A SUMMER HIKE?
So you thought you would take the challenge and climb up to Camp Muir. After all it’s summer. Great idea, just be prepared for the weather.
A check of Monday’s data from the weather station at Camp Muir, at 10,100 feet elevation, showed a temperature of 40 degrees at noon, with winds reaching 47 mph. That created a wind chill of 26 degrees, cold enough to start causing trouble for poorly prepared hikers.
NORTH CASCADES POT FIND
In case you missed, a week ago law enforcement officers from nine agencies raided a marijuana growing site in Ross Lake National Recreation Area. Officers destroyed 16,742 plants valued at nearly $48 million.
This was the first known marijuana growing site within a National Park Service site in Washington and the first one in Western Washington, said Lt. Rich Wiley, head of narcotics enforcement for the Washington State Patrol.
Officers also removed more than 1,000 pounds of garbage, fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, irrigation piping, propane canisters and equipment.
Damage to the park includes cutting of trees to clear the growing sites, terracing of the land, impounding creeks and installing irrigation systems, spreading of chemical fertilizers, harassing and trapping wildlife, construction of living quarters and fences and spreading garbage and human waste.
The site was located by the pilot of a helicopter working on a maintenance project for the National Park Service.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.