Mt. Rainier NP achieves major milestone

The website above reads, "Road Status: The road will be open on weekends and holidays, weather permitting."

"Weather permitting" is a awfully subjective term....

Let's hope they have a strategy.  They aren't budgeted for flaggers; safety protocols probably say they should use them.  They have relatively low traffic  on weekdays and can test a light & sign system on what TNT quotes as "perfect" days--dry pavement, good visibility, no avalanche hazard.  They also have plenty of accidents on days with lots of snow and ice on the road.  So, if on perfect days, people behave themselves and drive safely, then they could justify opening on less than perfect days.  On poor days it is highly unlikely a responsible official would let people go up and down (both ways simultaneously) glacier hill unsupervised.  I've spent many, many days in the park in all seasons and some of a**holes drivers are unbelievable (especially noticeable when bicycling from Ashford to Paradise and back and when motorcycling [I was beat up pretty good on a car caused bicycle accident; many of the unexperienced drivers want their half the road in the middle; I've encountered people trying to turn around on a corner!; many speeders and reckless passers--and I used to drive FAST].  I suspect the best we can hope for on poor (but not high avalanche danger days, when they would close anyhow) would be limited a.m. openings for uphill traffic by the public, followed by a break, and then a more extended opening for downhill, maybe even by lead car in the late daylight p.m. if there are lots of cars.  I plan to write the acting supt. to thank him for this trial opening and encourage him to use creativity and careful thought to maintain public acces in a safe and responsible manner and not to succumb to the temptation to "play it safe" by an unreasonable cessation of midweek public access.  I think it is reasonable to close access to Paradise during especially heavy snowfall, high winds, blizzards, and high to exteme avalanche danger).  I, of course, have been at Paradise (and above Pan Pt.) in all these, but I'm talking road access here.  BTW, on one trip to Paradise, I passed a newly wed couple in their car crushed and killed by a falling old-growth tree; so high winds are a safety factor down low (below Longmire) as well.

I've been thinking the same thing. It would seem that a morning period (opening - 1:00ish) of access to Paradise followed by a closure to uphill traffic (beyond the bridge?) combined with a simple "yield to downhill traffic" sign at the constriction would go a long way in mitigating the danger to motorists. On a typical midweek day, I would think that multiple cars arriving at the single lane simultaneously would be rare under this scenario. This would be a low tech, no cost solution that should allow access to the majority of midweek users while practically addressing the park management's expressed concerns.

Thoughts?

(In any case, I at least want access to the Christine Falls TH if not the bridge.)

"Weather permitting" is a awfully subjective term....

Increasingly over the past decade, the Paradise gate has remained closed for 'bad weather' (snowing) & 'avalanches' that had mysteriously left no trace when the road opened the following day.  How hard would it be for the Park to install feeds from the webcams & telemetry at the Longmire museum so visitors might decide about the Paradise weather for themselves?  Then again, they can't even be bothered to include the current NWAC forecast on the phone message or post it in Longmire for folks who leave home early.  Oh, I forgot...they "have to manage for the lowest common denominator".  Those responsible for this outrageous policy are the real lowest common denominator.