April Snowshoeing at Paradise

For updated conditions – check the “Recent Postings” on the right side. The winter snow remains at Paradise at the 5400 feet elevation in Mt. Rainier National Park. At the beginning of April the Pacific Northwest region continued to be influenced by “El Nino” weather making both the flowering trees and spring flowers bloom early in the cities around the mountains. A lack of snow in the lower elevations has been the impact of the “El Nino” weather in the mountain regions. There hasn’t been any snow in the lower elevations at Mt. Rainier since before January of this year. Therefore, hiking has been accessible in the lower elevations when normally the trails are under a fairly good snow cover until late in May. The snow depth at the beginning of April was measuring between 120 inches down to 100 inches depending on the weather temperatures. However, all that changed quickly and drastically after the first week in April! The temperatures all over the Pacific Northwest region dropped and winter came in the spring month of April. Cold stormy weather dropped heavy layers of snow in the mountains making it difficult for Easter travel across the mountain passes. Skiers rushed back to the ski areas for more winter skiing and snowboarding and at Mt. Rainier National Park five feet of snow piled up quickly making the snow plows work extra hard to keep Paradise open. The snow depth at Paradise rose to a high for the year of 181 inches or 15 feet. As of April 17th, the snow depth has gone down to 157 inches or 13 feet at Paradise and now there is snow along the roadside before Longmire. At Longmire there are slippery snow patches as deep as 4 inches covering trails just enough to make it difficult to navigate the route or find the trail.  Hiking in the lower elevations is now questionable with the April winter snow that has fallen.   

During the months of April and May the snow can be somewhat unstable due to the warmer temperatures so avalanche danger becomes a factor to address when planning a snow excursion at Mount Rainier. Check the Northwest Avalanche Center link below the Live Cam links on the right side of this posting. It’s possible to click into a mountain forecast telling avalanche information along with the hourly weather data listed for Paradise. It’s amazing to see the snow totals and temperatures here in April!

If you have any questions about Mount Rainier, please feel free to email me with your questions. I’m always happy to help! sallysphotos@comcast.net

Again on this posting, I will list my interpretation of the Mount Rainier seasons for your planning convenience.

 Fall = September & October

Early Winter = November to December

Winter = January to April or May

Spring Snow Melting = May or June & Early July

 Summer = Late July to August         

It’s vacation planning time so make sure you order your Summer Visitor Guide Book to help you plan your vacation. All the colored photos will help you decide what you want to see and all the maps will show you how to get there.  There are itinerary suggestions for all kinds of weather – even rain. The Mount Rainier DRIVE or HIKE to SEE book is HERE in the ONLINE STORE! 

This El Nino year had opened opportunities that are not normally available in March. Hopefully, those opportunities will still be available in April and May. From Longmire down to the park entrance there was no snow which meant hiking was open for those interested as long as the trail destination was below 4000 foot elevation.  The Rampart Ridge Trail at Longmire had a bit of snow on the ridge in March.  However, it was easy to complete the loop walking through the snow that was packed on the trail. Now there is snow as soon as you start climbing and the snow is knee deep on the ridge. We use our rubber studded shoe tracks on our hiking boots to navigate through snowy areas. With trekking poles and the rubber foot tracks attached to hiking shoes, the footing is much more secure. The other trick we’ve learned is to use a shoelace to tie the tracks onto the hiking boot. Otherwise, the tracks sometimes pull off in places of deeper snow. Eagle Peak Trail at Longmire was also partially accessible except for the last snowy section up near the saddle area. Again there is snow as soon as you start to climb but in patches.  The trail will get harder to find as the snow gets deeper.  You should still be able to  hike to Cougar Rock Campground alongside the Nisqually River from Longmire thanks to this El Nino year.  Another lower elevation place to visit is Twin Firs which is located 4.4 miles from the park entrance before Longmire. Experience this “short” loop trail that goes up the hill to a small footbridge and through the old growth forest of HUGE trees. The pull out is usually unmarked during this off season so look for a pull out on the left side of the road before Longmire. Kautz Creek Trail is located 3.3 miles from the park entrance and is accessed across the street from the large parking area and restroom.

Kautz Creek Trail beyond Bridges

This trail is flat for the first mile until it crosses a couple of footbridges. Then the trail climbs upward steadily for 5 more miles up into Indian Henry’s Hunting Ground above the 4000 foot elevation level. I’m not recommending going that far! But, hiking across the footbridges and up another mile is a great lower elevation experience where you might see the forest rejuvenation with trillium flowers heralding in the new growth. After the two footbridges is my favorite old growth forest section where the spongy mossy undergrowth with all the different ferns is absolutely beautiful under the cover of the huge trees. Lastly, for a nice park hike near the entrance to the park, try the Westside Road. Walk the road as far as you wish watching for the roadside waterfalls along the way. There is a hidden one that you will hear that is another one of my favorite things to see.

At Paradise in April

Back up in the higher elevations at Narada Falls, the snow remains to be enjoyed through the month of April. At Paradise, which is the highest place open all year, the snow will stay through the month of May and possibly into June depending on the weather. This year the El Nino weather has provided a lot more choices for fun in Mt. Rainier National Park. Hope you can come and enjoy this special April here in the Pacific Northwest.

Written by: Sally Johnson

  Here is another April posting from last year :  April at Paradise 2009