Paradise is famous for its glorious views and wildflower meadows. The park's main visitor center, the Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center, is located in the upper parking area. See the current Road Status for updated information about park roads. Paradise is located 19 miles (30 km) east of the Nisqually Entrance, 12 miles (19 km) east of Longmire and 21 miles (34 km) west of the Stevens Canyon Entrance. ParkingVisitor center parking lot:
Paradise Inn parking lot:
Lower parking lot:
Public BuildingsHenry M. Jackson Visitor CenterThere is a paved plaza in front of the entrance to the visitor center, bordered by a drop-off area. The asphalt parking lot slopes up to the plaza. Once inside via a wide entrance, the floors are even and smooth. There is an elevator to the second level. The visitor center can be crowded but offers an open floor plan and multiple places to sit and rest. Information desk: There is an information desk in the center of the main room on the first floor, with a lower area on the right. Maps of Paradise including buildings and trails are available at the information desk. Manual wheelchairs can be checked out with photo ID for short-term use in Paradise. There is a braille version of the park brochure available at the desk. Wilderness Information Center / Guide HouseThere is an accessible entrance on the side of the building closest to the Paradise Inn parking lot. The counter inside the Guide House does not have a lower area for people who use a wheelchair. Paradise InnThe inn has a medium-sized asphalt parking lot that gently slopes up to the entrance. There is a drop-off area in front. The inn is accessible via the front entrance, but the doors are heavy and need to be manually opened, unless they are propped open (this is often the case in nicer weather). Once inside, the floors are smooth wood and carpet. The upper floor of the inn is not accessible due to the historic nature of the building. There is comfortable seating for lounging inside the inn, and two large stone fireplaces. Front desk: The inn has a front desk near the entrance where staff are available to check out rooms and answer questions about the inn. The front desk is tall and not accessible to a person using a wheelchair. There is a detachable payment card reader accessible to a person using a wheelchair. There is an accessible water refill station behind the front desk. Restrooms: There is a family restroom and men’s and women’s restrooms located down the hallway behind the front desk. The restrooms have wheelchair accessible stalls. Café: The Tatoosh Café has snacks, coffee and beverages, lunch, and ice cream. If you are just inside the main entrance to the inn, the café is located past the gift shop, at the far-right end of the inn. There are two tables in the café with seating; one table is accessible to a person using a wheelchair, the other is high and has stool seating. There is also seating available outside on the flagstone patio. Seating area: There is a large central seating area in the Paradise Inn with comfortable chairs. There is a piano towards the center of the room, with large stone fireplaces at either end of the room. The side of the room closest to the entrance has booth seating that is not accessible. There are tables accessible to a person using a wheelchair. There is seating for groups.
RestroomsThere are restrooms off the vestibule of the main entrance of the visitor center, on the first floor of the inn, and outside near the ranger station. Restrooms are designated ‘men’ and ‘women’, except for two ‘family’ restrooms located on the first floor of the visitor center (accessed from outside) and first floor of the inn. Note that there are also accessible restrooms nearby at the Paradise Picnic Area. Jackson Visitor Center Family restroom:
Women’s restroom:
Men’s restroom:
Paradise Inn Family restroom:
Women’s restroom:
Men’s restroom:
Plaza Restrooms (also called the Slate Restrooms)The Plaza Restroom is located off the main plaza, next to the Paradise Ranger Station. It consists of a long, covered stone corridor that leads to restrooms; there is bench seating inside the corridor. The restrooms are long and narrow. Women’s restroom:
Men’s restroom:
Water Fountains and Refill StationsThere is a water refill station on the first floor of the visitor center, on the wall opposite the information desk. There a water refill station behind the front desk of the Paradise Inn. There is a water fountain outside in front of the Paradise Ranger Station. Wifi and Cell ServiceThere is cell service at Paradise, it may be intermittent if you are traveling on the area trails. There is public wifi at the visitor center. The Paradise Inn does not have public wifi available, and cell service may not be available from inside the inn. PathsWalkways leading from the parking lots to the public buildings in Paradise are generally smooth asphalt and cement with a gentle slope. There is a sidewalk leading along the north side of the road from the lower parking lot to the visitor center. There are many paved trails leading away from the parking lots into the meadows and beyond; these get steep quickly and can be confusing. If traveling on the paved trails, it is a good idea to get a map from the visitor center or photograph the map on one of the signs outside the visitor center for reference. There are signs on the trails, but the map can help orient you to the larger trail network. LodgingThe Paradise Inn has:
DiningRestaurant: The Paradise Inn Dining Room is accessible and located on the first floor of Paradise Inn via an entrance outside the inn (to the left of the main entrance). The restaurant serves a breakfast buffet, lunch, and dinner. Picnic AreasJackson Visitor Center has a wide paved area next to the visitor center with several picnic tables. It is sometimes crowded and there is little shade in the area.
Three accessible picnic tables and an accessible picnic area with grills are located next to the accessible parking spots, in a flat area with gravel. There is a cement sidewalk leading from the accessible spots to an accessible restroom. Parking in the Paradise Picnic Area
Restrooms in the Paradise Picnic Area Women’s restroom:
Men’s restroom:
There are several additional sets of other restrooms located in the Paradise Picnic Area, but they do not have wheelchair accessible stalls or changing tables. The paths leading to the other restrooms are steep and uneven. There are many additional picnic tables, but most have steep uneven paths with several stairs at the start of the paths. Water in the Paradise Picnic Area CampingThere are no campgrounds at Paradise, the nearest is Cougar Rock Campground. TrailsParadise area trails are mostly paved and steep. Trails are often snow-covered through early summer. It can be hot on the pavement, bring extra water, sunscreen, and dress in layers. Plan for changing weather. There are no accessible trails. There are several trails with less elevation gain:
Things to Do
Winter at ParadiseMany of the facilities are closed in winter at Paradise. The road to Paradise closes nightly and can remain closed during the day depending on the weather and current conditions. Check Alerts and current road status during the winter. The Paradise Inn, Wilderness Information Center, and Paradise Ranger Station are closed in winter. The visitor center is open on the weekends only. The Plaza Restrooms (Slate Restrooms) stay open year-round. There is winter camping at Paradise. NPS Mobile AppThe NPS App is accessible and includes alt text for images. Mount Rainier National Park does not have cell service in many areas; download the NPS App prior to coming to the park. Features available include:
App store: ListenWIFI on the App Store (apple.com) It is recommended to download the ListenWiFi app before coming to the park for the best experience. To listen to park film audio description, connect your phone to the visitor center wifi channel called "Audio Description - No Internet" and open the Listen Wifi app. Tap the option for "Mount Rainier" for the main theater or "Human Use" to play the audio description for the small exhibit theater upstairs in the visitor center. Instructions for using the ListenWiFi app are also included in the visitor center audio description tour in the NPS app. Area MapsAccessibility in Park Areas of InterestAccessibility at Sunrise
Learn more about accessibility at the Sunrise and White River areas. Accessibility at Longmire
Learn more about accessibility at Longmire and Cougar Rock. Accessibility at Ohanapecosh
Learn more about accessibility in the Ohanapecosh area. Accessibility at Carbon and Mowich Lake
Learn more about accessibility at Carbon River and Mowich Lake. Accessibility at Mount Rainier
Learn more about accessibility at Mount Rainier National Park. |
Last updated: October 7, 2024