Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
National Park Inn
HOMESTYLE$$$
(mains $16-19; lunch & dinner)
Hearty hiking fare is served at this homely inn-restaurant
and - in the absence of any real competition - it's surprisingly good. Try the pot roast or
the chicken with honey glaze, and make sure not to miss the huge blackberry cobbler
with ice cream that will require a good 2-mile hike along the Wonderland Trail (which
starts just outside the door) to work off.
Paradise Inn
HOMESTYLE$$$
(brunch $24, dinner mains $16-23; breakfast, lunch & dinner Jun-Sep)
The huge stone fire-
place is the highlight of this dining room and it easily overshadows the food. Buffalo
meatloaf and crab mac 'n' cheese are the most enticing options.
Information
In Longmire, the museum (
Click here
)
can field basic questions, but the information cen-
ter in Paradise is the best place to get answers.
Henry M Jackson Visitor Center
(
360-569-2211, ext 2328; Paradise;
10am-7pm daily
Jun-Oct, to 5pm Sat & Sun Oct-Dec)
Ashford Visitors Center
(30027 SR 706; 9am-8pm May-Oct, to 5pm Nov-Apr)
The best
source of information outside the park, the center is located 6 miles before the Nisqually
entrance. Has a shop, maps, leaflets and helpful staff.
Ohanapecosh Entrance
Ohanapecosh (o-
ha
-nuh-peh-
kosh
) in the park's southeastern corner is accessed by the
small settlement of Packwood, 12 miles to the southwest on US 12. Packwood harbors a
small number of eating and sleeping options. Shoehorned between Mt Rainier and its two
southern neighbors, Mt St Helens and Mt Adams, this is a good base for travelers want-
ing to visit two or more of the mountains. It's linked to Paradise by Hwy 706, but
Ohanapecosh's roads are generally closed in the winter months due to adverse weather,
making it less accessible than Nisqually.
Activities
Starting just north of the Ohanapecosh Visitors Center, the 1.5-mile
Grove of the Patri-
archs Trail
is one of the park's most popular short hikes and explores a small island (the
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