MRNP: Bold as brass, up your ...

Agree with the folks above who note that if you don't like the current situation and don't say anything about it, you're contributing to the problem.

IMO, current park management is, at best, misguided. Closing the park two days a week is contrary to the very purpose of a national park, especially in the face of the multitude of fees that seem to increase nearly every year. "Thanks, we'll take your money, and provide you with less in return."

But thank GOD we're spending $700,000 to give the guide services better facilities, plus more and more money on the webcam so their clients can wave hello to family from Camp Muir.

And let's not forget that after the 2006 floods, when the park was closed to the public all winter and into the spring, the guide services were allowed to use the back road into Paradise to get their clients to Muir. Meanwhile the general public was invited to walk from the Longmire entrance gate.

The only positive improvement I've seen since Mike left is the return of winter self-registration for climbing.

gator must have heard and probably just staying quiet.
maybe in 5 years he'll be nps chief?
bF

Interesting: one of these replies notes that lack of funding from the Forest Service. Hum, somehow down here near Bend, they have managed to find 2.5 million bucks to build a hiking trail from Sun River to the Lava Lands Visitor Center! I'm glad my parking pass is helping out so much with this sort of thing

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YAH RIGHT----NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

broken

And let's not forget that after the 2006 floods, when the park was closed to the public all winter and into the spring, the guide services were allowed to use the back road into Paradise to get their clients to Muir. Meanwhile the general public was invited to walk from the Longmire entrance gate.

Actually, during 'The Big Lie' VC construction closure of 2006-07, the park was closed to the public (except guides & clients), even crossing the boundary on foot was forbidden.

This is exactly the kind of performance that has methodically and very effectively driven winter users away, particularly over the past 5-10 years. 

I know a lot of people, including myself, who used to frequent the park but no longer do, thanks to the dancing opening times.  This was rarely a problem a decade ago, yet has become so commonplace that its leading to record decreases in winter visits.

Current management clearly displays a unique inability to manage the resource.  It's incredibly frustrating that such an amazing jewel is going to waste, especially considering the limited upper elevation access points here in western Washington.

The NPS December visitation numbers are out:
Mount Rainier NP
December 2012: 16,912
December 2011: 20,166
Difference: -16.1 percent

"January’s count of 14,361 was the lowest for the month going back to 1979, except 2007 when the park was closed because of damage from the November 2006 flood.

“Young said the park’s management team is always tracking how many people are coming into the park and what they can do to make sure it’s accessible when people want to come up. They also want to be cognizant of things the park is doing that might impede people from visiting, such as road closures because of snow or avalanche dangers."

www.thenewstribune.com/2013/01/27/245121...ey-role-in-park.html