Park & Ride to Mount Ranier NP for Free

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    Because it is not only the highest point one can reach in Mt Ranier Natl Park by vehicle but also reachable from the two southern entrances, Nisqually and Stevens Canyon, the Paradise area is often swamped with traffic.
    Here's what the NPS writes on p.4 of their May-June 201 "Lake Tahoma News": "Parking in Paradise. Due to the popularity of the Paradise area, parking in the upper Paradise lot (adjacent to the Visitor Center) is limited to 2 hours and is generally full by 1100. Parking for longer than two hours is permitted in the lower Paradise lot and along the Paradise Valley Road."

    But there are some workarounds: using free weekend shuttles. Again from the "Lake Tahoma News" here's info on the shuttles: "[From 22 Jun to 2 Sep] free shuttle service is available from Longmire to Paradise on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Additional free shuttle service between downtown Ashford and Longmire is available Saturdays and Sundays."

    "The Ashford-to-Longmire shuttle begins service at 9:15, with buses leaving every 20 minutes until 10:45, then 75 minutes thereafter. The last shuttle leaves Ashford at 5:00 p.m., with the final shuttle bus returning from Longmire by 8:15 p.m. Shuttle service is free, but park entrance fees apply." [See links below.]
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    If you're driving an RV or pulling a trailer, note that there are some Maximum Length Restrictions for the three largest campgrounds.

• Couger Rock*: RV 35'/Trailer 27'
• Ohanapecosh*: RV 32'/Trailer 27'
• White River: RV: 27'/Trailer 18'

    Note that many of the park facilities were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s & 1940s, when both vehicles and recreational vehicles were much smaller.
    Three smaller CGs, Ipsut Creek, Mowich Lake, and Sunshine Point, have 29, 30, & 18 site respectively, but they too likely have length restrictions.
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Links:

• National Park Service website pages for Mount Ranier
• Morton Depot Info Center, where a woman told me the gravel road to Mt St. Helens was closed til July

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F 15 Jun Actual Route: Pasco Walmart - Walla Walla VA Hospital - Walla Walla Walmart

Sa 16 Jun Actual Route: Walla Walla Walmart - Milton-Freewater, OR - Pendleton - Pendleton Walmart

Su 17 Jun Actual Route: Pendleton - Emigrant Springs State Heritage Area

M 18 Jun Actual Route: Emigrant Springs SP - Perry - La Grande - Island City Walmart

T 19 Jun Actual Route: Island City Walmart - La Grande - Island City Walmart

W 20 Jun Actual Route: Island City Walmart - La Grande - LDS Fmy History Center - Island City Walmart

Th 21 Jun Actual Route: Island City Walmart - La Grande VA Clinic- LDS Fmy History Center - Baker

F 22 Jun Actual Route: Baker Lib - Baker Shell Truck Stop

Sa 23 Jun Actual Route: Baker Shell Truck Stop - Baker Lib - Lake Phillips -Union CG

Su 24 Jun Actual Route: Union CG

M 25 Jun Route: Union CG - Sumpter - John Day

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Finding Campgrounds:

• RV Campgrounds from TrailerLifeDirectory.com
• Family Camping Directories from Woodalls.com
• Free campsites website
• Info on finding BLM Campgrounds

N.B. I receive nothing from Trailer Life, Woodalls, or FreeCampsites.net for including links to their free campground lookups.