Climbing

 

Climbers crossing a glacier on Mount Rainier.

NPS Photo

Mount Rainier, the most heavily glaciated peak in the contiguous United States, offers an exciting challenge to the mountaineer. Each year thousands of people successfully climb this 14,410 foot active volcano. There is access to over twenty different climbing routes and ski descents via four main trailheads to approach the mountain: Paradise, Westside Road, White River, and Mowich Lake.

Reaching the summit via any route requires a vertical elevation gain of more than 9,000 feet and traveling over ten miles in distance. Climbers must be in excellent physical condition and well prepared. Technical glacier-travel rope skills are also required to ascend and descend the mountain safely. Either independently or with a guide, climbing and skiing on Mount Rainier offers an unparalleled experience within the Pacific Northwest's Cascade Mountain Range.

 

Climbing Regulations at Mount Rainier

Climbing regulations are established in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 36, 7.5 (b) and describe three rules.

• You must have a permit to be on a glacier or above normal climbing high camps (~10,000 feet).

• You must be at least 18 years old or have permission from a guardian to apply for your permit.

• You cannot solo without being specifically authorized to do so.

Depending on your climb and when you want to do it, there are four types of permits that you may be required to obtain before your trip begins:

1. Climbing Registration

2. Wilderness Permit

3. Wilderness Reservation

4. Solo Permit

 

1. Climbing Registration

Register depending on the season:

• Winter Self-Registration
• Summer Walk-Up Registration
• Summer Reservation Activation

Winter Self Registration (September 15 – May 1)

Very few people try to climb Mount Rainier in the winter. During this period, there are no occupancy issues at any of our high camps or Wilderness zones. We allow “self-registration”.

There are two steps to take:

1. Each person in your party must pay $82. The registration fee may be paid per party member online at Pay.gov (pay through the Mount Rainier NP Special Use Permit Application Fees form). You must pay before you come to the park.
2. After you have paid your per person registration fees, you must fill out a registration card when you arrive to the park. These are obtained at a self-issuing kiosk inside the awning of the Paradise Old Station, which is the small A-framed building at the edge of the parking lot across from the large Jackson Visitor Center. In the winter, your self-registration also suffices as your Wilderness Permit.

Summer Walk-Up Registration (May 1 – September 30)

During the summer season, there is NO self-registration. You must come to a wilderness information station to register for your climb.

The park holds roughly 50% of capacity at each camp and in each Wilderness zone for walk-up registration. You may register for a walk-up permit 24-hours before your climb begins.

1. Each person in your party must pay $82. The fee must be paid online at Pay.gov (pay through the Mount Rainier NP Special Use Permit Application Fees form).
2. You will be asked for your proof of purchase when you register at a wilderness information station in the park.

Summer Reservation Activation

You may also complete your registration when you activate your climbing reservation at a ranger station with a ranger. Read more below about Wilderness Permits and Reservations.

 

2. Wilderness Permit

During the high-use, summer period (May 1 – September 15), a wilderness permit will also be issued at the time of your climbing registration. The wilderness permit system works like a hotel reservation system and ensures that our camps and zones don’t overfill and there are no crowding issues on our climbing routes. A wilderness permit is $12 per person per night. Visit the Wilderness Permit page for detailed information.

Because we are managing not only our camp sites, but climbing use along the whole climbing route, even if you are not camping, or “single pushing”, you are still required to obtain a Wilderness Permit.

Once again, if occupancy on the climbing route is full when you’re online trying to obtain a reservation, you may still obtain both a Climbing Registration and a Wilderness Permit by walking up to a ranger station within 24-hours of your climb. These permits are issued “first come, first served.”

 

3. Wilderness Reservation

The “peak” climbing season is from May 1st to September 15th. Camps and zones fill up quickly especially on Friday nights and on weekends. Our advice is to not rely on getting a ‘walk-up’ Wilderness Permit. Obtain a reservation. They are worth the time and effort in providing you some assurance that you will be able to go on the dates you want.

Visit the Wilderness Permit page for details on how to apply for your reservation.

Reservations will be held until noon of the day your permit begins. After noon, your reservation will be cancelled, unless you email [e-mail], or talk to a ranger at: 360-569-6650. If your reservation is held for a late pickup, it will be held until closing time at 5:00pm.

 

4. Solo Climbing

36 CFR 7.5 (b) (3) states that “a party must consist at least of two people” unless specific authorization is obtained by an application that considers a variety of factors such as your experience, anticipated weather and conditions, the route you’re climbing, and other factors. Roughly 200 people apply to solo climb Mount Rainier each year, but fewer than half of those receive permits to do so. Before you apply, we recommend building your resume with ample ascents of Mount Rainier participating as a team member or climbing other mountains that are heavily glaciated such as Mount Baker, Denali, or Mont Blanc.

You can apply for a solo permit via the Solo Application Form. A climbing ranger will review your application and get back to you within a week or two. We deny wilderness permits and climbing registrations in only the rarest of occasions, but solo permits receive a lot more scrutiny.

 

Weather and Conditions

Weather, snow, and route conditions can change rapidly, making the difference between a pleasant and rewarding experience or a tragedy. Before beginning a climb, obtain a current weather forecast. Rangers at both Camp Muir and Camp Schurman can give out updated forecasts before your summit attempt, but look for a general trend in the weather before arriving at the park.

During your climb, turn back if weather conditions deteriorate. Severe winter-like storms on the mountain are not uncommon during the summer. Poor weather often contributes to accidents and near-misses on the mountain. Here are some links to weather and avalanche resources for Mount Rainier National Park. For recent route conditions updates check out the Mount Rainier Climbing Blog.

 

Historic photo of a Mount Rainier climber.

NPS Photo

Guide Services

Climbing instruction, multi-day summit climbs, multi-day climbing seminars, and private climbs are available through:

• Alpine Ascents International
• International Mountain Guides, LLC
• Rainier Mountaineering, Inc.

There are also 15 single-trip guide services authorized to perform only one guided trip per year. Check the list of current Commercial Use Authorizations for approved guide service companies.

Some guided climbs qualify as charities. This type of climb is allowed, but requires a Commercial Use Authorization. Paying the climbing fee is still required.

Engaging in any business in park areas except in accordance with the provisions of a permit, contract, or other written agreement is prohibited. Leading or participating in an unauthorized guided climb of Mount Rainier is illegal (Title 36, Code of Federal Regulations). Learn more about regulations for guiding on Mount Rainier.

 

Route Briefs

Route briefs are official in-depth descriptions of climbing routes on Mount Rainier. Use the Route Briefs to familiarize yourself with these four popular routes. Produced by the climbing rangers, they contain the information needed for planning your climb, including route statistics, common pit-falls, and some of the climbing history of the route.

• Disappointment Cleaver-Ingraham Direct
• Emmons-Winthrop
• Kautz Glacier
• Liberty Ridge

 

Annual Mountaineering Reports and Statistics

Annual Mountaineering Reports summarize highlights of the climbing program, including search-and-rescues, statistics, and climbing staff.

Climbing Statistics are available from 1852 to 1897 and from 1950 to the present. Data available include the total number of climbers and the number of climbers who successfully reached the summit.

Climbing Resources

• Avalanche Information (pdf)
• Climbing Site Bulletin (pdf)
• Summit Registers - Summit registers are stored at the National Archives and Records Administration in Seattle. NOTE: Registers come down from the summit when they are full, so it may take a year or two before a register makes it into the national archives. Not all summit registers make it to the archives due to the weather conditions at the summit. In addition, many of those that do make it have missing pages.