Best Time to Visit Mount Rainier National Park

Pick a month. Best months are in bold.

The best months to visit Mount Rainier National Park are May, June and September — computed from official NPS visitation (2021–2025 average), NOAA weather normals and daylight. July is the crowd peak (420,918 monthly visits); February is quietest at 4% of peak.

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Best months for fewer crowds

The quietest months at Mount Rainier, leaving out harsh weather and months when main access is typically closed.

Monthly crowd curve

Average monthly recreation visits, 2021–2025 (NPS Visitor Use Statistics). Amber bar = current month.

Mount Rainier month by month

Crowds: NPS Visitor Use Statistics, mean of 2021–2025 (2020 excluded as a COVID-19 anomaly). Weather: NOAA 1991–2020 monthly normals, station RAINIER PARADISE RS, WA US (4 mi from park coordinates). Daylight: computed for the 15th of each month at the park's location. Methodology.

How many people visit Mount Rainier each year

Mount Rainier National Park had 1,635,342 recreation visits in 2025, 1% more than 2024 (NPS Visitor Use Statistics). The busiest year since 2015 was 2023, with 1,674,294. Over 2021–2025 it averaged 1,644,420 visits a year, which makes it the 18th most-visited of the 63 national parks.

Calendar-year recreation visits as published by NPS Visitor Use Statistics. 2020 is shown here but left out of the monthly averages above, because the COVID-19 pandemic makes it unrepresentative. See how every park compares: all 63 parks ranked by visits.

What to pack for Mount Rainier in May

Computed from May's weather normals — Mount Rainier's best month above. Visiting another month? Each month page has its own weather-computed list.

• Warm mid-layer (fleece or light puffy) — mornings average 33°F
• Rain shell + pack cover — 5.1″ of precipitation is normal this month
• Waterproof boots — plus navigation and a basic first-aid kit — 5.1″ of precipitation is normal this month

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Common questions

Mount Rainier month by month: notes from the park service

• January: January at Mount Rainier is winter at every level of the park. Daytime temperatures at Paradise, 5,400 feet up, typically reach only 33°F, falling to 21°F overnight, while Longmire is a few degrees milder.
• February: February at Mount Rainier is deep winter: the park service says cars can reach the mountain only through the Nisqually Entrance, and the Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center at Paradise opens on weekends and holidays from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., conditions permitting, and stays shut on weekdays.
• March: March is still Mount Rainier's winter pattern, the park service's hours page shows: the Nisqually Entrance is the only way in by car, and the Paradise visitor center (Henry M. Jackson Memorial) opens only on weekends and holidays, when conditions allow.
• April: April brings Mount Rainier's spring, when the park says ephemeral waterfalls run and a quieter, more leisurely trip is possible, though weather may decide which facilities are open. Expect Paradise to top out in the mid-40s°F, and Ohanapecosh, low in the southeast corner, nearer 58°F.
• May: May warms Mount Rainier's lower valleys first. On a typical May day Ohanapecosh reaches about 70°F and Longmire the low 60s, while Paradise is still near 50°F, with nights around freezing up there.
• June: June at Mount Rainier usually brings daytime temperatures in the mid-50s°F at Paradise and the mid-60s at Longmire, and the park warns that summer can still be wet and cool. Snow stays at 5,000 to 8,000 feet into mid-July, so higher trails may still be snowbound.
• July: July and August are Mount Rainier's sunniest months and its busiest, the park says, with warm, dry weather and wildflowers in bloom; Paradise reaches the low to mid-60s°F on a typical afternoon. Entrance waits at Nisqually and White River can top an hour on the busiest weekends, so arrive before 10 a.m. or after 2:30 p.m., or come midweek.
• August: August is one of Mount Rainier's warmest, driest months, with Ohanapecosh near 81°F on an average afternoon and Paradise in the low 60s, though rain is possible any day. Parking is limited in many areas, and the park suggests weekday visits to beat the crowds.
• September: September is the end of the Sunrise season at Mount Rainier: the park service says the Sunrise Visitor Center is generally open from July through mid-September. After that, the winter pattern sets in, with vehicle access only from the Nisqually Entrance and the Henry M.
• October: October is when Mount Rainier's east-side passes can shut. The park service says Chinook Pass (SR 410) and Cayuse Pass (SR 123) close for the winter every year, typically sometime in mid-November, but heavy snow can close them earlier: in 2022 they closed on October 25.
• November: From late October Mount Rainier runs on its winter schedule. The park service says winter vehicle access is only through the Nisqually Entrance, and the Henry M.
• December: A December trip to Mount Rainier starts at the Nisqually Entrance, the only way in by car in winter, according to the park service. Up at Paradise, the Henry M.

Each month page carries the full note and the NPS page it comes from.

Dive into a month

Comparing parks for the same trip? See how Mount Rainier ranks against all 63 parks in May, June and September.

Last verified 2026-09-24 · all parks