Hurricane Helene efforts forces early winter road closures at Mount Rainier

ASHFORD, Wash. — White River Road which leads to the White River Campground will be closing for winter starting October 14.

On Wednesday, the National Park Service (NPS) announced that the closure will be earlier than in previous years due to staffing levels at Mount Rainier.

Staff from the Mount Rainier National Park were deployed to assist with Hurricane Helene’s recovery efforts forcing the park to change its closure date.

Mowich Lake Road will close at 9 a.m. on October 14 but State Route 123 and 410, which provide access to the east side of Mount Rainier will stay open until mid-November.

NPS recommends visitors check on road closures before traveling to Mount Rainier and not depend on GPS because it can lead visitors to closed gates and cause hours of delays.

See the current road status around Mount Rainier here.

If traveling through the Chinook Pass or Cayuse Pass visitors can follow road status on the WSDOT website.

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