Paradise, Washington

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See also: Paradise Inn (Washington)
Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center.
Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center.
Wildflower meadow near Paradise.
Wildflower meadow near Paradise.

Paradise is the name of an area at approximately 5,400 feet (1,600 m) on the south slope of Mount Rainier in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington, United States. The area lies on the border of Pierce and Lewis counties and includes the Paradise Valley and the Paradise Glacier which is the source of the Paradise River.[1] Virinda Longmire named Paradise in the summer of 1885 while she viewed the wildflowers in the alpine meadows there. [2][3]

Paradise is the most popular destination for visitors to Mount Rainier National Park.[3] 62% of the over 1.3 million people who visited the park in 2000 went to Paradise.[4] The road from the Nisqually entrance of the National Park to Paradise (State Route 706) is one of the few roads in the park open to automobiles in the winter.

Paradise is the location of the historic Paradise Inn (built 1916),[5] Paradise Guide House (built 1920) and Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center (built 1966). [6] The inn is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1931, a golf course was built in the area and in 1936 a ski rope tow was installed. These were both added as facilities for use by the guests of the inn.[5] From 1942 to 1943 the U.S. Army used the inn to house troops training for winter mountain conditions.[5]

The National Park Service says that "Paradise is the snowiest place on Earth where snowfall is measured regularly."[7] 1,122 inches (93.5 ft, 28.5 m) of snow fell during the winter of 1971-1972, setting a world record for that year. The minimum annual snowfall at Paradise was 313 inches (26 ft, 8.0 m) in the winter of 1939-1940, and the maximum snowpack was 357 inches (30 ft, 9.1 m) in March, 1955. No snowfall measurements were made from 1943 to 1946 as the road to Paradise was closed during World War II.[7][8]

The National Park Service is undertaking a two-year, $30 million project to perform renovations and structural work to allow the inn withstand a large earthquake and to replace the "flying saucer-shaped"[3] Henry M. Jackson visitor center with a new building that will complement the historic lodge. The National Park Service expects to save $600,000 by combining the two projects at Paradise. The inn is currently closed as part of this work and is scheduled to reopen in 2008.[9][10]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Stanley Maps. Mt. Rainier National Park [map], Centennial edition, 1 : 30,000. Cartography by Charles B. Kitterman / Kulshan Cartographic Services. (2000) ISBN 0-9662209-4-3.
  2. ^ Haines, Aubrey L. [1962] (1999). Mountain fever : historic conquests of Rainier. Original publisher: Oregon Historical Society; Republished by University of Washington, p. 81. ISBN 0295978473. 
  3. ^ a b c Pitcher, Don (June 12, 2002). Moon Handbooks Washington, 7th edition, Moon Handbooks, Avalon Travel Publishing, pp. 615-616. ISBN 1566913861. 
  4. ^ Mount Rainier National Park Visitor Study Brochure (PDF). Visitor Services Project. National Park Service (March 31, 2003). Retrieved on 2007-05-22.
  5. ^ a b c Barnes, Christine; Pfulghoft, Fred (Photographer); Morris, David (Photographer) (April 2002). Great Lodges of the National Parks: The Companion Book to the PBS Television Series. W W West, pp. 48 – 57. ISBN 0-9653924-5-7. 
  6. ^ Mt. Rainier National Park Centennial Timeline 1960s. Mount Rainier National Park Centennial Celebration. National Park Service (1999). Retrieved on 2007-05-22. “1966: The Paradise Visitor Center (in 1987 dedicated as the Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center), is opened to the public in September.”
  7. ^ a b Mount Rainier National Park - Frequently Asked Questions (U.S. National Park Service). National Park Service (created August 4, 2005 modified January 19, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-05-22.
  8. ^ Annual Snowfall at Paradise 1920 to 2002 (PDF). National Park Service (January 12, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-05-22.
  9. ^ Carlton Harrell, Debera. "Mount Rainier's Paradise Inn to undergo a two-year face-lift", Seattle Post-Intelligencer, October 11, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-05-22. 
  10. ^ Renée Casavant, Vanessa. "Paradise Inn to close for two years", The Seattle Times, September 8, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-05-22. 

[edit] Bibliography

  • Wilfred Schmoe, Floyd [1959] (July 1999). A Year in Paradise: A Personal Experience of Living on Mount Rainier in the Early 1900's, 2nd edition, Mountaineers Books. ISBN 0898866537. 

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 46°47′9.0348″N 121°44′15.4284″W / 46.785843, -121.737619 (Paradise, Washington)

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