Longmire and the Nisqually Entrance

Longmire is where the story of Mount Rainier National Park began. James Longmire built a trail and a hotel here in the 1880s to serve visitors drawn to the hot springs and the mountain, and the settlement grew into the park's first headquarters. Today the Longmire Historic District is a compact cluster of rustic buildings around a meadow, including the Longmire Museum, the National Park Inn, a hiker information center and a small general store. It sits at about 2,700 feet, just inside the Nisqually entrance, and it is the park's most reliably open area. The museum is a small gem. Housed in a rustic stone and log building, it displays plants, animals, geology and photographs, and it gives the context that makes the rest of your day make sense. Outside, the easy Trail of the Shadows loop, about three-quarters of a mile, wanders through the meadow past mineral springs, beaver ponds and the remains of the original homestead. The Wonderland Trail also passes here, so you will see backpackers loading up for long journeys.

Longmire is a good first stop on the way in. The Nisqually entrance road follows the river past old-growth forest, and Longmire is reached within a few miles. Park here to pick up maps, ask a ranger about conditions, use the restrooms and stretch your legs before continuing to Paradise. In winter this is also the main base for snow activities, with ranger-led snowshoe walks and a cross-country ski route on the road to Paradise, subject to snow conditions.

The National Park Inn offers rooms and meals year-round and has a comfortable, old-fashioned lodge feel with a stone fireplace in the common room. Even if you are staying elsewhere, a coffee or a meal here is a pleasant pause. Hours and services change with the season, so check ahead. Winter tours from Seattle that stop at Longmire are popular with visitors who want snow without the heavy-chain drive to Paradise.

Allow one to two hours. The museum takes thirty minutes, the Trail of the Shadows another thirty to forty, and a break at the inn rounds it out. The village is also a trailhead for longer hikes, including the Eagle Peak, Rampart Ridge and Comet Falls routes, which can be tackled by strong walkers if time allows.

If you are visiting with young children, this is one of the best parts of the park, because the loops are flat, the museum is manageable and the lodge has a fireplace. For photographers, the meadow at dawn with mist rising and the mountain behind is a classic image. Respect the historic buildings, stay on the paths and take your litter with you so the village stays as it has for over a century.

The Nisqually entrance station is also where you will meet the park's current fee and any entry rules, so keep your pass or payment handy. Parking at Longmire is rarely a problem outside holidays, which makes it a stress-free place to start a day with children or older relatives, and the road in is among the first in the park to be plowed after storms.