Changes at Mt Rainier -- road closed Tues, Weds

In another thread, I mentioned 15 cars in RMI lot, yesterday, Wednesday - I meant to say they were at the IMG lot, just up the street. Indeed, the concessionaires may be doing overnighters (2+ nights).

I still think we want to know if different rules actually apply to them, and why.

In another thread, I mentioned 15 cars in RMI lot, yesterday, Wednesday - I meant to say they were at the IMG lot, just up the street.  Indeed, the concessionaires may be doing overnighters (2+ nights).

I still think we want to know if different rules actually apply to them, and why.

Why do you think the park clarified/revised its closure policy by saying that anyone who drives up on Monday can camp out and stay Tues and Wed and come down on Thursday or later--this policy would not interfere with any multi-day exercise.

I’m sure you all understand that letters from a few “disgruntled” skiers will have zero impact on decision making at the NPS.  Presenting the issue on this forum reaches relatively few people.  What is needed is a concerted effort to reach a much larger audience. I believe the most effective way to expand your audience is to circulate a petition among the various users of the Mt Rainier backcountry describing the problem and the solutions.  It is likely that the protest letters that you have already sent off can be used as a blueprint for a petition.  This will require some effort and face-to-face encounters with interested parties and the park users.  But a petition with 100’s or 1000’s of signatures will definitely have an impact.  On weekends, volunteers could be stationed at the Paradise, Van Trump, and Narada trailheads to inform users of the problem and to ask them to sign the petition.  If you don’t want to spend a day at a trailhead, ask for volunteers to work in shifts.  Ask the local business on the routes to Paradise if you can display your petition in their business and ask patrons to sign.  Notify ski and snowshoe clubs about the problem and ask them to circulate the petition among their members at their next meetings.  Post your petition in local sporting equipment stores.  Attend the meetings of local outdoor clubs to present your petition.  These are just a few suggestions of how to reach a larger audience and hopefully get some attention from the NPS.  Good luck.  I appreciate your frustration with the late openings and road closures and hope that you can make some changes.

was advised today that full week schedule resumes the 27th of this month (but didn't confirm it against their website, etc.) - this, by a concessionaire who routinely works there Tuesdays and Wednesdays

Monday's Twitter confirms David's report that this is the last week of Tuesday-Wednesday closures of Paradise:
 
With daylight until almost 8PM now, it would seem the park will either need double-shifts for LEOs or there will be lots more noon openings. 

Since there is a hiring freeze and budget cuts, how is the park now able to re-open Tuesdays & Wednesdays?  What assets do they now have that they didn't have at the start of winter?  They previously said the newly hired rotary operator would not change their plans.  Looks to me like the original closure was completely arbitrary and had little or no relation to the justifications floated at the time.

I agree with Andy that this was a trial balloon to gauge public reaction and that there will be further access restrictions in the future.

The winter weekday closure policy may have ended, but MRNP management remains dishonest and dysfunctional.  Locking the public out of Sunrise and the Westside road is disgraceful.

Just learned that the MRNP maintenance chief is leaving to become chief of maintenance for ONP.