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Paradise Inn - Mount Rainier National Park - Washington
Paradise Inn
Paradise Inn is a historic hotel built in 1916 at 5,400 feet on the south
slope of Mount Rainier in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington. The inn is named after Paradise, the area on the mountain it is
located. The 1966 Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center and the 1920 Paradise
Guide House are also at this location. The inn and guide house are where
many climbers start their ascent of the mountain. The inn is listed in the
National Register of Historic Places.
Step outside the historic Paradise Inn accommodations and be welcomed by the
site of meadows in full bloom, miles of trails that lead to adventures in
all directions and explore the outdoors the way it was meant to be, free
from modern life stresses and distractions. Stand in awe of Nisqually
Glacier and head out to the Longmire Museum or the visitor centers at
Ohanopecosh, Sunrise and Paradise for more information and displays of the
areas rich history.
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History
The inn was designed by Frederick Heath of Heath, Gove &
Bell in 1915. It was initially planned to be built at
Longmire. The National Park Service moved the planned
location to Paradise when the original financier, John
Reese, backed away from the project. The inn was built by
the Rainier National Park Company, founded by Steven T.
Mather, assistant to the Secretary of the Interior.
Native building materials were used including cedar
shingles, native rock and weathered timbers salvaged from a
fire in 1885. After 30 years of aging the timbers had
developed an unusual silver sheen. The original plan called
for a red roof but the Park Service vetoed this in favor of
a green roof which blended in with the natural environment.
This is in keeping with the National Park Service Rustic
style of architecture. The inn opened on July 1, 1917 and
cost between $90,000 and $100,000.
The lodge is built with exposed cedar logs that provide its
structural framework. It includes French doors in 14 bays to
"allow summer breezes to enter" and domer windows for
natural lightubg to enter on the second story, "augmented by
hanging lamps".
Paradise Inn
Website
Mount
Rainer National Park
Mount Rainier National Park is
located in southeast Pierce County and northeast Lewis County in Washington
state. It was established on 2 March 1899, the fifth national park in the United
States. The park contains 368 square miles including all of Mount Rainier, a
14,411-foot stratovolcano. The mountain rises abruptly from the surrounding land
with elevations in the park ranging from 1,600 feet to over 14,000 feet. The
highest point in the Cascade Range, around it are valleys, waterfalls, subalpine
wildflower meadows, old growth forest and more than 26 glaciers. The volcano is
often shrouded in clouds that dump enormous amounts of rain and snow on the peak
every year and hide it from the crowds that head to the park on weekends.
Mount Rainier is circled by the Wonderland Trail and is covered by several
glaciers and snowfields totaling some 35 square miles. Carbon Glacier is the
largest glacier by volume in the continental United States, while Emmons Glacier
is the largest glacier by area. About 1.3 million people visit Mount Rainier
National Park each year. Mount Rainier is a popular peak for mountain climbing
with some 10,000 attempts per year with approximately 25% making it to the
summit.
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