Resources for Assisting Visitors

 

The lobby of the Jackson Visitor Center at Paradise is a central gathering place for people who are seeking information about the park, exploring the interactive exhibits or resting after a rigorous day outdoors.

NPS photo

Helping visitors make a personal connection to the park

Partners play a vital role in the public's understanding of their national park. The number of concession employees and volunteers who work in the park far outnumber uniformed National Park Service employees. Out of the one and a half to two million annual visitors to Mount Rainier, only a small minority will have an opportunity to talk to a ranger. But partners such as lodging, restaurant and store staff, climbing guides, tour bus guides, and volunteer meadow rovers will interact with many visitors who need help or have a question. The goal of all of us, whether park employee, volunteer or concession employee, is not just to answer the visitor's question but to do it in such a way that the visitor makes a personal connection to the park.

These pages contain orientation information and resources to help the park's partners better understand the National Park Service in general, but more specifically Mount Rainier National Park. They provide resources to answer visitors' questions and to share the park's important stories.

• Story of the National Park Service - History, purpose, and mission of the NPS.
• Mount Rainier: America's fifth oldest national park - How Mount Rainier became a park, and its mission, purpose, and history.
• This is why Mount Rainier is special - The park's significance statements.
• Helpful resources within the park - Information centers, staff, park newspaper, and more.
• Answers to common questions - FAQs and practical information for a successful visit.
• Important safety and protection messages for visitors (pdf) - Help get the word out!
• Enriching visitor experience in the park - Interpretive techniques, main interpretive themes, and the park's interpretive plan.
• Climbing guides' reference page - Information related to climbing and the mountain, names of places and features on the mountain, stories of historic climbs; links to climbing blogs with route information and conditions, weather forecast, current glacier research, geology of the mountain, and a bibliography of stories about climbing on Mount Rainier.

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