A sunny start at Mount Rainier on Wednesday, November 4, is expected to give way to a wetter pattern, making the drive to Paradise a weather-dependent day trip rather than an open-ended mountain stop. The National Weather Service’s 2:59 a.m. PST recreational forecast calls for rain and snow chances Wednesday night, while the National Park Service has already begun nightly closures of the Longmire gate and its winter tire-chain requirement.
Areas Affected
Paradise, at 5,420 feet, is forecast to reach 44°F Wednesday before dropping to 32°F overnight. NWS places Wednesday night’s snow level near 6,000 feet and explicitly forecasts no snow accumulation near Paradise that night. A chance of precipitation should not be turned into a claim that the Paradise road will receive accumulating snow.
Thursday’s snow level is forecast near 5,000 feet, with Paradise reaching about 37°F before another near-freezing night. Longmire, at 2,760 feet, has a milder Wednesday forecast of 53°F followed by 38°F. Rain and snow become more likely Friday, with the snow level rising during the day. The elevation differences matter when deciding how far to drive, and the outlook remains subject to updates.
What RV Travelers Need to Know
The park’s winter travel notice, updated November 2, says nightly Longmire gate closures began October 29. When conditions allow, the usual schedule is a 9 a.m. opening, an uphill closure at 3 p.m., and a downhill closure at 4 p.m. NPS advises leaving Paradise by 3:30 p.m. Those hours are conditional: the road can open late, close early, or stay closed after the morning assessment.
All vehicles, including four-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive vehicles, must carry tire chains in the park from November 1 through May 1. The park also specifies extra chain requirements for vehicles over 10,000 pounds. RV owners should read the park’s traction guidance for their vehicle and follow the posted road requirement; carrying chains does not guarantee that a road is open or appropriate for a particular rig.
Overnight planning needs to happen before the climb. Cougar Rock and White River campgrounds are closed for the season, and Ohanapecosh is closed for its 2026 rehabilitation project. NPS prohibits sleeping in vehicles outside campgrounds. Paradise’s parking areas are therefore not a substitute campsite if weather delays the descent; arrange a suitable overnight stop outside the park.
The Paradise visitor center is on its winter weekend-and-holiday schedule and is normally closed Monday through Friday, including this Wednesday. Paradise Inn and the picnic area are closed for the season. Check the park’s current alerts after 7 a.m. for that day’s expected gate status, then recheck before leaving Longmire. A projected opening is not confirmation that the gate has actually opened.
Sources: NWS Mount Rainier recreational forecast; NPS winter travel; NPS campground status; Paradise visitor information; NPS current conditions. Checked November 4, 2026.
Photo: Jeff Hollett (jhvanwa), original photograph, CC0 1.0. Resized for web display.