Visitor center · Mount Rainier National Park
Get permits, maps, and trail advice before heading toward Sunrise.
Overview
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
White River Wilderness Information Center“Up ahead is White River Wilderness Information Center, a useful stop if you're planning a backcountry trip or deciding which hike fits your day.”
Plays as you drive up to White River Wilderness Information Center in the Parkwolf Mount Rainier Tour Guide.
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“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
The White River Wilderness Information Center is a staffed wilderness desk at Mount Rainier’s White River Entrance, on the way to Sunrise. It’s a useful stop before exploring the northeast side: rangers help with backcountry permits, trip planning, maps and trail-condition updates.
The center occupies the former White River entrance checking station, built from 1929 to 1931 as the park prepared for visitors to Sunrise, then also called Yakima Park. Sunrise opened in 1931, and the entrance area’s National Park Service Rustic buildings are part of Mount Rainier’s historic district.
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
ChallengingCrystal Peak Trail8 mi · 6 hr · 1.7 mi awayHard climb, broad views, and a former lookout site above Crystal Lakes.
ChallengingCrystal Lakes Trail6 mi · 4 hr · 1.7 mi awayClimb to two lakes, with a Rainier view halfway up.
ModerateHidden Lake Spur Trail6.1 mi · 4 hr · 1.9 mi awayAn alpine lake tucked beneath the Palisades, with a hard climb back.
ChallengingPalisades Lakes Trail7 mi · 5 hr · 1.9 mi awaySeven miles of alpine lakes, ending beneath the Palisades cliffs.
EasySunrise Lake Trail1.5 mi · 1.3 hr · 1.9 mi awayA short lake walk with the steep climb on the way back.
ModerateOwyhigh Lakes Trail7 mi · 4.5 hr · 2.1 mi awayA steady forest climb to lakes beneath a jagged ridge.
ChallengingEastside Loop34.5 mi · 22 hr · 2.1 mi awayA long loop from deep forest to high alpine meadows.
ModeratePacific Crest Trail: Chinook Pass to Laughingwater Creek Junction8.9 mi · 6 hr · 2.6 mi awayLakes, meadows and Rainier views reward this long PCT traverse.
Sight · 1.2 mi awaySunrise Road Columnar Rock FormationA roadside close-up of ancient lava columns and a glacier-built ridge.
Scenic pullout · 1.4 mi awaySunrise Road PulloutA roadside geology stop for Rainier's volcanic layers and mudflow deposits.
Sight · 1.9 mi awaySunrise Point OverlookA broad Cascade panorama from the bend of a lava ridge.
Sight · 2.8 mi awayChinook Entrance ArchA 90-foot CCC gateway doubles as a Pacific Crest Trail crossing.
Sight · 2.9 mi awayTipsoo LakeA short loop, wildflowers, and a chance at Rainier's reflection.
Scenic pullout · 3.4 mi awaySunrise Road White River ViewRainier and Adams rise above the White River Valley on Sunrise Road.
Campground · 4.1 mi awayWhite River CampgroundSunrise-area hikes start right from this wooded riverside camp.
Picnic area · 4.2 mi awayWhite River Picnic AreaA wooded meal stop with eight grills and nearby trail access.Parkwolf’s Mount Rainier ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
