Access to Mount Rainier is by car or bus only. Tourists from afar usually land at Seattle-Tacoma Int'l Airport SEA. To get to Paradise by car, take I-5 south to Tacoma, then exit onto WA-7: at Elbe, keep straight onto WA-702, which leads into the Nisqually enterance. It takes about 3 hours to get to Paradise from Seattle. Most visitors come on sunny summer weekends and holidays. Parking can be problematic during summer weekends, so if possible try to visit mid-week. Another option to minimize parking hassle is by parking at Ashford, just outside the Nisqually entrance, and take the shuttle into the park and Paradise. The park is open year-round, but access is limited in winter. Facilities at Longmire are open daily year-round. Facilities at Paradise and Ohanapecosh are open daily from late-May to mid-October. Facilities at Sunrise are open July to early-October. In winter, access is by the Nisqually Entrance in the southwest corner of the park only. The Jackson Visitor Center at Paradise is open weekends and holidays in winter.
Gray Line of Seattle
Ph: 1-800-426-7532, Offers round-trip bus tours of Mt. Rainier from downtown Seattle, but does not provide one-way trips to the park.