Updated Section One

I have updated all the Web pages and blog entries in section one of the Mt. Rainier photo guide. I am moving on to section two along with the March-April news, access, contditions and prospects over the next week or so, and will post when that work is done.

The goal is to do a complete review of the current Web pages and blogs before resuming work on the Web pages and projects presently waiting my attention, research and production. The plan is to work on those over this year and probably into next year as they require weeks of research, preparation and writing, all of which has to fit into the other work and stuff that consume my time.

The goal there is to get the two missing quadrants, the northeast and southeast, done along with the spring season overview and the 2011-12 snowmelt reports. All in time for the start of major tourist travel to the NP in mid-late May and into June before the biggest period of July 4th to the Labor Day weekend.

That's it for now. If you love winter, it's a great time to be there, and if you're not, then spring is just 2-3 months away.

Photo Guide Overview

After getting my Photography Guide for Mount Rainier National Park started in 2006, it has reached a point I needed to organize it into something easier to use and update. I have done this and it's available at the link above. This guide is still incomplete, as some of the Park area quadrants are currently just shells for information as I find the time to research information, which will eventually lead to even more detailed information on photography in the National Park.

It is my goal over the next few years to work on those Web pages so in the future photographers will have the complete basic information for their trip. This guide is a long term project, which I estimate will take another 2-3 years before I have sufficient information for a book. In the meantime I will be converting some of the Web pages into PDF files so they can be downloaded and printed for trips to Mt. Rainier National Park.

In addition to the guide, I update the Latest News once a month, and sooner when I find news worth adding before the routine update. This includes an updated Access Guide. And I will be working on new photo galleries as I get to the Park with both my digital and large format camera systems.

The photo is the one that restarted my interest for a photography guide for the Park. I found it on the Mazama Ridge trail from the Paradise Visitors Center. I liked it because it showed that nature isn't always about life, but also death. I visit this tree every few years and it does continue to grow as the broken top reached the ground and regrow as does the lower part of it. It's a story in nature, always resilant to seek life. Something we should remember in our own life.

So please enjoy the guide, and please feel free to contact me if you have some experience in Mt. Rainier National Park you with to share on this Website, have suggestions or questions.

February Reports

The reports of the news, access, conditions and prospects for Mt. Rainier NP for February are available. February is pretty much the same as January in the NP, it's still winter and will be through March into April. The snow will still be falling and piling up as there already is at least 8 feet of snow above the 5,000 foot elevation, see the graph of the current snowpack below.


The road between Longmire and Paradise is controlled at a gate just east of Longmire. You can get the status of the road conditions for cars and the time when the gate will be opened from the NP's Twitter account.

Aside from that, it's just the continuation of winter, so go, play and enjoy.