After Slides, Crews Assess Damage In Mount Rainier National Park

MOUNT RAINIER, WA — Heavy rains last week caused flooding, mudslides and road damage along all routes leading to Mount Rainier, entirely cutting off access to the national park for several days. In an update posted Friday, the National Park Service said staff cleared an emergency route to evacuate guests from the National Park Inn and staff members from Longmire. All roads leading into the park remained closed Monday morning.

The Washington Department of Transportation said cleanup work on State Route 410 continued Monday after a fourth slide in the area over the weekend. The road reopened between Enumclaw and Crystal Mountain early Monday evening.

State Route 706 was closed due to mudslides near milepost 10, blocking the park's Nisqually entrance. According to WSDOT, engineers found an "extremely unstable" slope above the roadway, and hundreds of yards of debris that was several feet deep.

The NPS said access to Carbon River was cut off by a road washout between Mowich Lake Road and Manley Moore Road.

"Park staff are working around-the-clock, and in close partnership with the Rainier Guest Services team and state and local officials to protect life, health, and safety of residents, visitors and employees first — and protecting critical infrastructure related to our nationally-significant buildings and roads, second," Deputy Superintendent Tracy Swartout said.

According to NPS, several buildings in Longmire have lost "critical systems."

"Essential staff remaining on duty within the park are focused on maintaining emergency access and services for remaining critical NPS staff and stranded residents outside the park, as well as securing critical water, wastewater, electrical, and drainage infrastructure inside the park," a news release said.

When possible, NPS said staff will perform a comprehensive evaluation of road and infrastructure impacts, and anticipated "significant damage" to roads, trails and utilities. After the snow melts in the spring, it is likely that further damage will be found.