The park’s free shuttle bus service will resume June 22 and continue through Sept. 2.
One route runs from Longmire to Paradise on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The other route carries visitors from Ashford to Longmire on Saturdays and Sundays.
The Longmire-to-Paradise shuttle runs every 45 minutes on Fridays and every 20-30 minutes on Saturdays and Sundays. The shuttle stops at Cougar Rock Campground in both directions. Shuttles also stop at Narada Falls on the way to Paradise and at the Comet Falls Trailhead on the return to Longmire. Service begins at Longmire at 10 a.m., with the last bus returning about 7:30 p.m.
The Ashford-to-Longmire shuttle begins service at 9:15 a.m., with buses leaving every 20 minutes until 10:45 a.m., then every 75 minutes thereafter. The last shuttle leaves Ashford at 5 p.m., with the final bus returning from Longmire by 8:15 p.m. The ride is free, but park entrance fees apply.
The schedules are posted at all shuttle stops and on the park’s website at nps.gov/mora.
The total cost to provide the buses is $240,000, with another $40,000 needed to cover the park’s costs to hire extra rangers to help with traffic control. Shuttle ridership
YearRiders
200615,000
200718,254
200810,213
200930,202
201025,346
201127,565
Jeffrey P. Mayor, jeff.mayor@thenewstribune.com Source: Mount Rainier National Park