Paradise is famous for its glorious views and wildflower meadows. When James Longmire's daughter-in-law, Martha, first saw this site, she exclaimed, "Oh, what a paradise!" The park's main visitor center, the new Paradise Jackson Visitor Center, is located in the upper parking area. Paradise is also the prime winter-use area in the park, receiving on average 643 inches (53.6 feet/16.3 meters) of snow a year. Winter activities include snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and tubing.” “Mrs. Eclain Longmire visited Paradise Valley for the first time and gave it its name because of the beauty of the wild flowers.  The Paradise meadows were once home to a golf course, rope tows for skiers, an auto campground, and rows of tent cabins. All of these activities damaged the meadows, as does walking off-trail. Management practices have changed over the years, and we now protect and restore our precious subalpine meadows.  For many years, the Paradise Ice Caves were a popular attraction at Mount Rainier. Until the 1980s, visitors could explore passages within the Paradise Glacier which had formed due to seasonal melting of the ice. By the early 1990s, climate change had melted away the last traces of the caves.

Credits and Sources:

“Mount Rainier: Its Human History.” Field Division of Education. National Park Service. Last Modified October 1, 2001. http://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/berkeley/rensch2/rensch2h.htm (June 1, 2015).

"Ohanapecosh.” Mount Rainier National Park: Washington. National Park Service. LastModified June 27,2015. http://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/ohanapecosh.htm (Accessed June 1, 2015).

"Longmire.” Mount Rainier National Park: WAshington. National Park Service. Last Modified June 27, 2015. http://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/longmire.htm (Accessed June 1, 2015).