Longmire Community Building Viewpoint

Longmire Community Building Viewpoint is a small riverside overlook and picnic area beside the Nisqually River, with Mount Rainier rising up the valley and the historic Community Building across the parking area. It’s one of the best Rainier views in Longmire. I’d stop for the mountain-and-river view and the old park architecture together; the building is closed inside, so this is an outdoor visit.

From Longmire, follow the side road through employee housing, cross the historic wooden Nisqually Suspension Bridge, then follow the river to the 16-space lot. It can be unexpectedly full. The bridge is limited to vehicles weighing 3 tons or less; RVs, campers, trailers and some large trucks or SUVs can’t cross. Park those vehicles in the main Longmire lot by the National Park Inn and walk over. That walk is about 1 mile round-trip and 40 minutes.

The Nisqually is fed by its glacier and spreads into braided channels around large rounded boulders. Look up-valley to Mount Rainier; the dark cliffs on the mountain’s lower left are part of the Rampart Ridge lava flow. For a photo, keep some of the boulder-filled riverbed in the foreground so the mountain view includes the valley that leads to it.

The building was completed in 1927 under the design direction of NPS landscape architect Thomas Vint, using materials from the park in the rustic style. Its log-slab siding and stone-veneered foundation echo the rounded river boulders nearby. The T-shaped building’s community room has peeled-log roof trusses, a stone-and-glacial-boulder fireplace and a small stage. It still serves park staff for meetings and training, so visitors see the exterior rather than an open historic interior.

A short walk south of the building, across the gravel road, brings you to a cluster of stone pillars. The Mount Rainier Valor Memorial honors park employees who died while saving others at the mountain. It’s a worthwhile extra minute if you’ve come over to see the building.

The riverside area has a picnic table and benches. For a meal or a shop, the National Park Inn in Longmire has a separate restaurant and gift shop; it’s back across the bridge from the viewpoint.