Historic marker · Mount Rainier National Park
A sobering memorial to 32 Marines, 3.8 miles from Dry Creek.
Overview
Marine Memorial is a boulder with a bronze name plaque at Round Pass, overlooking South Tahoma Glacier. It honors 32 Marines killed when their transport plane crashed into the glacier in 1946. Go if you want a human story tied to the mountain setting; the approach is substantial: 3.8 miles each way from Dry Creek, or 7.6 miles out and back on foot or bicycle.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs the walk worth it?Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Mount Rainier Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Mount Rainier National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Mount Rainier audio tourRecorded for this place
Dry Creek: The Long Approach to Gobblers Knob“You're nearing Dry Creek, where vehicle access on Westside Road ends and the long approach to Gobblers Knob begins.”
Plays as you drive up to Marine Memorial in the Parkwolf Mount Rainier Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
On December 10, 1946, a military transport carrying Marines from San Diego to Seattle struck South Tahoma Glacier in bad weather. All 32 aboard died. Their remains were never recovered because the crash site was too hazardous for a recovery. The park dedicated the memorial in 1947, and the bronze plaque bears each Marine's name.
Vehicles reach Dry Creek from Nisqually on Westside Road, typically during the May-to-November summer season. There's a small parking area at Dry Creek; from there, the gravel road climbs to Round Pass and is closed to cars. Move carefully through the rockfall hazard area and don't linger. There are no restrooms along Westside Road; the closest comfort station is at Kautz Creek, 5.5 miles from Dry Creek toward Longmire. In winter, people use the closed road from the winter trailhead on snowshoes or cross-country skis.
Wildlife
466 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
383 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
10 sightingsWolverineMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
58 sightingsElkMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
574 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
1,853 sightingsHoary MarmotMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Mount Rainier. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateSouth Puyallup Trail3.2 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.5 mi awayFind columnar lava where this forest trail meets the Wonderland
ChallengingLake George and Gobblers Knob Trail11.2 mi · 6.5 hr · 1.7 mi awayAn old road leads to a 1933 lookout above Tahoma Glacier.
ChallengingEmerald Ridge Trail16 mi · 8.5 hr · 1.8 mi awayA long west-side approach pays off with Tahoma Glacier views.
ModerateLake George Trail9.2 mi · 5 hr · 1.8 mi awayA long road walk ends at a lake and historic patrol cabin.
ModerateWestside Road to Round Pass7.6 mi · 4 hr · 1.8 mi awayA gravel road walk ends at the Marine Memorial at Round Pass.
ChallengingKlapatche Park via St. Andrews Creek Trail21 mi · 13 hr · 1.8 mi awayA long road walk earns a flowered meadow and alpine lake.
ModerateGobblers Knob via Puyallup Trail7.2 mi · 4.5 hr · 2.4 mi awayA western approach to a historic lookout above Goat Lake.
ModerateNorth Puyallup River Trail5.4 mi · 3 hr · 3.3 mi awayFollow a mossy old roadbed to a remote river camp.
Sight · 0.9 mi awayGobblers Knob Fire LookoutA 1933 lookout above Lake George, reached by a long, steep hike.
Sight · 2.4 mi awayDenman FallsA forest-wrapped, 140-foot plunge on St. Andrews Creek.
Sight · 2.8 mi awayIndian Henry’s Patrol CabinA century-old patrol cabin in a meadow backed by Mount Rainier
Sight · 3.3 mi awayKlapatche PointLong road walk or bike ride to a remote west-side viewpoint.
Entrance station · 4.3 mi awayNisqually EntranceA cedar-log gateway with a century of park history.
Restaurant · 4.4 mi awayCopper Creek Inn RestaurantBlackberry pie and a meal stop just outside the park entrance.
Sight · 5 mi awayKautz CreekA short boardwalk to a mountain overlook and a glacier flood story.Parkwolf’s Mount Rainier ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
