To: Randy L. King, Superintendent, Mt. Rainier National Park
Open Road to Sunrise Sooner
Sunrise Road, highest drivable point within Mount Rainier National Park, should be opened as early as possible this June instead of waiting until July 3rd. The delay hurts tourism in our Chinook Scenic Byway corridor, including the Enumclaw plateau, and denies needed visitor access.
Why is this important?
PLEASE OPEN THE SUNRISE SIDE OF THE PARK NOW
Mt. Rainier National Park puts huge efforts into the Paradise side of the Park benefitting the small towns along the way while our Sunrise side is low on the priority list. Help us send a message to the Park that Enumclaw and Sunrise matter. Lost visitor traffic through our community irreparably damages our small hometown economy. The National Park service calls Enumclaw a "Gateway Community." The roads are nearly cleared and plowed. The gates should open. The Park website currently shows a planned opening date for Sunrise of July 3rd. Paradise, and the Paradise area is kept open year-round with plans to open a second road - Paradise Valley on June 20th.
The lack of an earlier opening date unfairly hurts businesses in Enumclaw, Greenwater and Crystal Mountain - sending Mt. Rainier traffic through Ashford to the other side of the Park. We are asking for the road to open by next weekend, June 20, if not sooner.
Mt. Rainier National Park puts huge efforts into the Paradise side of the Park benefitting the small towns along the way while our Sunrise side is low on the priority list. Help us send a message to the Park that Enumclaw and Sunrise matter. Lost visitor traffic through our community irreparably damages our small hometown economy. The National Park service calls Enumclaw a "Gateway Community." The roads are nearly cleared and plowed. The gates should open. The Park website currently shows a planned opening date for Sunrise of July 3rd. Paradise, and the Paradise area is kept open year-round with plans to open a second road - Paradise Valley on June 20th.
The lack of an earlier opening date unfairly hurts businesses in Enumclaw, Greenwater and Crystal Mountain - sending Mt. Rainier traffic through Ashford to the other side of the Park. We are asking for the road to open by next weekend, June 20, if not sooner.