Mt. Rainier
A "Must-Do" ride - at least every two years
 From
Seattle, a trip around Mt. Rainier can be about 300 miles, and worth every inch
of it. Areas of the road are open June to October, so plan accordingly.
There are two ways to approach it from Puget Sound – you
could wind down the west side or take your ride clockwise out of Enumclaw. The
latter will get you the best views. If you’re coming in from Spokane or Portland,
you’d be best adhering to the same wisdom; do the mountain clockwise, reaching
the east face, Sunrise, by late morning. For this trip you’ll surely want to
pack a camera, some sunscreen and a bottle of water. Optional gear might include
binoculars and hiking shoes.
Gas up now, there’s not a lot of gas along this route.
Begin your spin leaving on Highway 410 out of Enumclaw heading southward. Soon
you’ll be riding through the Federation Forest and onward to Greenwater, a nice
place to stop and shoot the breeze with other riders. If you’d like to learn
more about the Federation Forest, pull out at the interpretive center just
before Greenwater. Nothing exciting to report here ride-wise, so enjoy the
scenery and be keen with your deer radar.
The next stretch of road will lead you to the park
entrance (free at this point) and you’ll know you’ve entered the park when the
road starts presenting you with 3 inch drop outs brought on either by seismic
activity, or the National Park's inability to keep pace with needed road
resurfacing.
Five miles up the road is the turnoff for the White River
entrance and Sunrise - take it. Here you’ll be required to pay the park entrance
fee, which may seem a bit pricy, but is comparable to that of a movie ticket or
round trip ferry passage, so quit your whining. Hold onto your receipt as it’s
good for 7 days and you’ll need it to re-enter the park again later today.
 The road to
Sunrise is steep and twisty, but the reward is well worth it. You’ll enjoy some
spectacular views of the northeast face of Mt. Rainier. There are no guard rails
here, which can give a new rider the willies. If this applies to you, watch the
center line and traffic around you, keeping your eyes off the steep drop offs.
When you’re ready to leave, retrace your route back to the
White River entrance and the junction of 410. How’s that back feeling now? Take
a right and continue south on 410 three miles where you’ll stay left and ascend into
Chinook Pass - your first taste of some great sweeper turns to come today. That
20 mph sign with the 180 degree arrow on it is your message that you will soon
be engaged in the results of some well planned road engineering as far as you
and your motorcycle goes.
As for sweepers like these (of which there are about 20
along this ride) here’s some wisdom. I get my kicks out of riding at a
reasonable speed in these types of turns, and counting the seconds as I roll
through them . It’s almost meditative. If you’re unclear about where to be in a
turn when, you’ll find David Hough’s Proficient Motorcycling,
http://store.mm411.com/catalog/index.cfm?fuseaction=catalog&parent_id=172,
book to be an excellent guide about making turns like
these safely and with the utmost pleasure.
Head up the road about 5-7 minutes and follow the signs
for Tipsoo Lake. Continue beyond the parking lot around left sweeper, where
you’ll find some roadside parking. Park here and pull that camera out. As you
walk along the railing on the crescent you’ll come along some excellent photo
spots to take pictures of you and any riding partners you might be with, with Mt.
Rainier as your backdrop.
 Now
we’ll head back down the hill retracing our route back to the junction of 410
and 123. At the junction turn left heading south on 123 toward Ohanapecosh,
Highway 12 and Packwood. Head 14 miles south to the Ohanapecosh Visitor Center
where you can learn more about old-growth forests, or just go 11 miles south to
the Stevens Canyon entrance to the park at the junction of highway 706. If you
opt for the visitors center, enjoy your time there, then backtrack up the road
to the Stevens Canyon entrance.
The Stevens Canyon entrance is another pay point, which is
why you kept your receipt from White River. Enter the park and get ready for
some good twisties, stunning views and the road to Paradise. This stretch of
road is 19 miles. While it’s a bit of a kick on a bike, plan to pull out now
and then for some photo breaks or just to soak in the view. One of the best
stopping points are the pullouts for the Reflection Lakes.
If it’s a warm day, you’ll begin to feel the heat about
now, if you haven’t already. No doubt you’ve seen plenty of tank top clad riders
with sandals and hopefully you don’t plan to dress this way as it just feels
soooooo yucky to hit the ground at 40 mph in a tank top. Read about the wet
tee-shirt trick, http://www.soundrider.com/archive/tips/wettee.htm, and you’ll
be able beat the heat and be well-dressed at the same time.
Your fun and scenic stretch takes a left turn up the hill
to the Paradise Visitor's Center, the busiest spot on the whole route. Parking a
car up here can be a bit of a hassle, but you’ll most likely find a spot where
you can nuzzle your bike in just so. Did you bring your hiking shoes? There’s
more than a half-dozen trails leading off from the visitors area. The Paradise Inn
makes a great stop for lunch. There’s a full service restaurant open during
lunch time, or, if you miss the serving, you can grab something at the snack bar
located on the other side of the building. Take some time at the visitor's center
where there’s plenty of information about the geological and environmental
aspects of the park, as well as some nice views from the observation deck.
It's time to head west and make the trek along the southwest
side of the mountain. Descend from Paradise and follow 706 west toward Longmire.
More twisties, more views and more scenic pullouts. Look at the moss and the
aging wood on the ground in this untouched forest, which you can view as you
ride. Before the days of logging this is what a forest floor might have looked
like. Beautiful stuff! If you can’t get your fill of visitor's centers, pull out
at the Longmire Museum nine miles down the road for a look at the early days of
the park.
 Continue
west on 706 toward Elbe. Two miles before Elbe town is Dan Klennert’s Ex-Nihilo
Sculpture Park, which you will be able to spot easily from the road – visit it!
Klennert is an artist working in iron and wood media making some stunning
sculptures that speak about our culture and showcase the creative ramblings
going on in his mind. The park is free, and donations are gladly accepted. While
you’re here, if you think you need to use the restroom, do it – Elbe has NO
public restroom facilities, which is something the Pierce County Commissioners
should take a closer look at. What are these people thinking?
When in Elbe, there’s a steam train open to the public, a
few restaurants and a gas station (but no public restrooms he said redundantly).
From Elbe, head north along SR 7 to Puyallup (Portlanders will want to go south
toward Morton now). There are many routes back to Puget Sound, but our
favorite is through Eatonville, Kapowskin and Orting, which keeps you off the
interstate and away from the blasé route 7 past Eatonville.
If you make your way via Orting, be sure to pull out on
161 and get your final shot of the day, with Rainier in the distance, which will
most likely be well illuminated by an early evening sun.
Side Trips
There are other vantage points of Mt. Rainier that can be
had.
1. On the northwest end is the Carbon River entrance,
which will provide you with hiking options, or off road options if you came on your
dual sport.
2. Mowich Lake – an unpaved road leading to Mowich Lake
awaits dual sporters and off-roaders.
3. The DNR operates an Off-Road/ATV area on the southwest
corner of the mountain just west of Elbe.
4. Westside Road on the south side of the park just past
the Nisqually entrance is unpaved and open for 3 miles of its original 13 mile
distance. The travel is now limited because of continual flooding.
A ride around Mt. Rainier is something worth doing at
least every other year. Once you’ve done the route clockwise, try it
counter-clockwise. While the photo vantage points won’t be as good, the change
is welcome nonetheless.
Patrick Thomas/Summer 03
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