Who doesn’t love pika?

Pika, Ochotona princeps, are awesome little members of the rabbit family often found living among talus slopes and other rocky areas. While they don’t dig out burrows, they do make their homes in the nooks and crannies amongst the rocks. From the talus slopes, pika can venture out to nearby meadows to harvest grasses, leaves and other good things. Some they eat and some they take back to the rocky areas to build haypiles. These piles of food are built to last. Well, last all winter. Pika will feed off their haypiles through out the winter. They are active in winter and do not hibernate.

And they are little. From end to end, they are about 6-8 inches long. Unlike their rabbit relatives, pika do not have big ears but small, round ones. Their fur is gray to brown which is perfect when hiding from predators amongst the rocks. For humans out recreating in the park, it’s often easier to hear pika than to see them. Pika use short alarm calls to warn their family of predators. A short “meep” might be the only way you know a pika is near. Their fur can be such excellent camouflage.

Have you heard a pika in the park? When was the last time you heard a “meep”? Have you been fortunate to see one of these little pikas? ~ams

More information on pika in the national park can be found here https://www.nps.gov/mora/learn/nature/rabbits.htm

These photographs are from years past and do not reflect current conditions. NPS/E. Brouwer Photo. Pika amongst rocks. Longmire area. June, 2014. NPS/I. Metzen Photo. Pika sitting atop rock. Lake Louise area. August, 2018.

What looks like a chipmunk but isn’t a chipmunk?

If you’re in Mount Rainier National Park, there are good odds it’s a Golden-mantled ground squirrel. An easy way to tell the difference is to look at the face of the animal carefully while also a safe distance away. If there are black and white stripes on the face, it’s a chipmunk. No stripes on the face, and only on the back, then it’s probably a Golden-mantled ground squirrel.

Our Golden-mantled ground squirrels, or GMGS for short, are scientifically named Callospermophilus saturatus. People tend to see GMGS’s most often in the subalpine environment, places like Sunrise, Tipsoo, Spray Park, and Paradise. They are a bit bigger than chipmunks, about 11-12 inches long.

GMGS’s also weigh more than chipmunks but that can vary depending on the season. These squirrels, living up where the winters can be long and snowy, are hibernators. You may notice them in the late summer and early fall, eating all the leaves, grasses, seeds, fungi, etc. possible. Then they head into their burrows for a long winter’s rest. Lowering their metabolism and heart rate, they use the fat stores in their bodies to survive until the snow melts and food is available again. Depending on the season, GMGS’s can range in weight from 175 to 300 grams. These are small but tough hibernators.

If you see Golden-mantled ground squirrels, please give them space. They are wild animals and should never be given human food. Please help keep wildlife wild. https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/keep-wildlife-wild.htm

More information on animals in the rodent family in the national park can be found here https://www.nps.gov/mora/learn/nature/rodents.htm .

These photographs are from years past and do not reflect current conditions. NPS/K. Loving Photo. Close-up of Golden-mantled ground squirrel from the front. Face has no black and white stripes on it. Paradise area. October, 2018. NPS/I. Metzen Photo. Golden-mantled ground squirrel perched on rock with body visible. Black and white stripes on back. Sunrise area. June, 2018.

There’s a sound that can be heard throughout the subalpine meadows in the summer. A shrill whistle that carries very well. It’s almost alarming to some of the humans hiking the trails. To the hoary marmots that call this mountain their home, it is an alarm call. The whistle they make is a warning to other nearby hoary marmots that there  is a predator nearby.

As often as you might hear that whistle in July, August, and September, it becomes much more infrequent in the fall. Throughout the winter and spring, the whistle is silent. All is quiet as the marmots of this mountain hibernate under ground in their burrows. We might not hear it again until June or so, depending on the snowpack and snowmelt.

During the late fall, winter, and spring, hoary marmots, Marmota caligata, are hibernating. They dig burrows in the ground of the subalpine meadows and rocky areas. Related to groundhogs, hoary marmots are not big animals. They weight about 17 to 22 pounds. But they can pack on the weight when getting ready for winter. Eating all the grass, leaves, flowers, etc that they can, they build up their fat supplies for the long, subalpine winter. Once in their burrows for winter, they lower their body temperature, slow their body functions. Then all is quiet through the long winter of the subalpine meadows.

Have you seen hoary marmots while visiting the park in the summer? Have you heard their shrill whistle, alerting other marmots? ~ams

If you see hoary marmots, please give them space. They are wild animals and should never be given human food. Please help keep wildlife wild. https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/keep-wildlife-wild.htm

More information on animals in the rodent family in the national park can be found here https://www.nps.gov/mora/learn/nature/rodents.htm .

These photographs are from years past and do not reflect current conditions. NPS/I. Metzen Photo. Hoary marmot eating a leaf amongst green plants and flowers in subalpine meadow at Paradise. Yellow and white lilies in bloom. July, 2018. NPS/S. Redman Photo. Hoary marmot sitting on rocks near snow in Paradise. July, 2011.

Black bears can be found in Mount Rainier National Park. Most of the time, we only see them in the summer and fall. As awesome hibernators, we rarely see any black bears in the winter.

At the end of the fall, as the temperatures get colder and there’s less and less food available for these sizeable omnivores, black bears go looking for a den for the winter. Somewhere that protects them from cold temperatures, wind, and snow. The den may be a hole in a tree, under large roots or logs, maybe even a small cave.

And then they go into torpor. It’s a form of hibernation where they can wake up from time to time. Their body temperature drops, they don’t eat or drink. They might not even urinate or defecate. And there, the park’s black bears stay, snoozing through the winter until springtime temperatures and food emerge.

Have you seen a black bear in the national park? What season of the year was it? Have you seen bears in the park that are not black? Black bears here can be black, brown or cinnamon.  ~ams

More information on bears and other mammal species in the national park can be found here https://www.nps.gov/mora/learn/nature/mammals-of-mount-rainier.htm . Remember to give wild animals space https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/keep-wildlife-wild.htm .

These photographs are from years past and do not reflect current conditions. NPS Photo. Close up of bear track in mud next to pen for scale. NPS/S. Redman Photo. Black bear in meadow in Paradise area. August, 2017. Bear among small trees. A black bear even though its fur is brown. July, 2005.

How do you tell that winter is over?

Do you go by the calendar? Is winter over at Memorial Day Holiday weekend?

Or do you tell the end of winter by the sun, going with the spring equinox or summer solstice?

How about snow? Do you tell that winter is over because the snow has melted and green plants are growing again?

A lot of the animals that call the national park home go with the snow. In the Fall, they start to move lower and lower in elevation, finding the food supplies that are available throughout the winter. They might go so low in elevation that they even leave the national park.

Our black-tailed deer, Odocoileus hemionus columbianus, are like this. They move up and down the mountain across the seasons as they search up and down for food. As the snow melts away, the green plants start growing leaves and buds, providing food for the black-tailed deer and other animals.

Deer, plus others, follow the greening as it creeps up the mountain. Of course, this depends on the weather. Our spring was very cool this year so snow has lingers and plants were slow to grow. The highest elevations get the most snow during the winter and are the slowest to melt out. That’s why we sometimes don’t see the ground snow-free until end of June or July. Deer are waiting for the snow to melt too. Once it melts, yummy plants (for deer) start to grow and the subalpine meadows like Paradise and Spray Park become a bountiful buffet for the black-tailed deer and other critters.

Where is your favorite place to see deer in the park? Have you seen them in the winter, perhaps near Longmire or Ashford? Have you seen them in the summer dining at Sunrise or Tipsoo Lake? ~ams

More information on black-tailed deer in the national park can be found here  https://www.nps.gov/mora/learn/nature/hoofed-mammals.htm

These photographs are from years past and do not reflect current conditions. NPS/P. Wold Photo. Black-tailed deer doe with fawn near to trail in Longmire. June, 2012. NPS/S. Redman Photo. Deer in sunny, wooded area at Paradise. September, 2015.

Many lakes inside the park spend the winter months blanketed by snow and ice. Some, like those at higher elevations, may not melt out until May or June. So how do animals that rely on an aquatic environment survive the winter? What does an amphibian like the Cascade frog do to survive the snowy, icy winter at Reflection, Mowich or Tipsoo Lakes?

Rana cascadae, cascade frogs, can be found from northern California to British Columbia up in the mountains. This amphibian has an affinity for elevation, especially the wet areas like streams, ponds, pools, and marshy areas near timberline. When the snow melts, these frogs might be found out and about in the montane environments that stay wet through the seasons. But when the cold temperatures start and the snow falls, where do our cascade frogs go?

They go into the mud. Yes, mud. The frogs dig into the mud under ponds and lakes. Protected under the mud, they hibernate through the winter. They can get oxygen through their skin in the slightly looser mud they prefer. Living 5-7 years and sometimes up to 10, Cascade frogs spend several months each year sleeping in the mud. The key is being in mud that’s under at least one foot of water. This insulating water can keep the mud from freezing which keeps the frog from freezing.

While not the stereotypical form of hibernation that most folks think of with bears, cascade frogs also turn out to be great winter sleepers. Which do you think sounds better, sleeping like a black bear or a cascade frog? ~ams

 More information on frogs and amphibians in the national park can be found here https://www.nps.gov/mora/learn/nature/amphibians.htm .

These photographs are from years past and do not reflect current conditions. NPS/Spillane Photo. Snow and ice covered Reflection Lake. Forested ridge in background. May, 2014. NPS/Brouwer Photo. Cascade frog sitting in vegetation in water at Mowich Lake. July, 2014. NPS/Hui Photo. Small rocky islet with tree and plants in Mowich Lake. Clear water shows rocks on the lake bottom. July, 2016.

Elk are members of the deer family. Larger than deer and smaller than moose, elk can weigh in from 400-1,100 pounds. These big animals require a lot of food to keep their bodies running all winter. In their search for food, they come down from the higher elevations. Around Mount Rainier National Park, in the winter, elk are often found in the river valleys. Sometimes they are even found near the gateway towns, like Packwood and Ashford.

Here at the lower elevations, more sheltered from wind and snow, elk can find the food the foods they need to get through the winter. Some of it is grass. You might see them out in a field grazing. But elk are also able to diversify their eating habits. They can eat forbs. Forbs are herbaceous plants other than grass. Elk might feed on berry bushes and other shrubs. You might also see elk nibbling on trees. Maples, willows, cedars, and douglas-firs can also be winter food for elk.

In surviving winter, it pays to have multiple food sources for wildlife to depend on. When was the last time you saw some elk around the park? While staying a safe distance away, were you able to watch these amazing animals as they rested, traveled or ate? ~ams

More information on hoofed animals in the national park can be found here https://www.nps.gov/mora/learn/nature/hoofed-mammals.htm#:~:text=Elk%20are%20found%20throughout%20the,in%20Mount%20Rainier%20National%20Park. Remember that wildlife are wild. Please do not feed and stay a safe distance away https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/keep-wildlife-wild.htm .

These photographs are from years past and do not reflect current conditions. NPS Photo. Elk print in soft dirt. NPS Photo. Elk tracks through snow on Sunrise side of park. January, 1984. NPS/Bacher Photo. Bull elk resting in forest at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park in Eatonville, WA. 2014.

If you want to get to Paradise this winter, you might drive a car or other motor vehicle. You’ll check the weather report for a few days prior making sure there’s no big winter storm coming. You look at the MountRainierNPS Twitter feed the night before your visit to get the latest intel on when the gate at Longmire could open. And you’ll prep your motor vehicle to make sure you have the right tire chains or other approved options. (check https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/tire-chain-faq.htmfor FAQs).

If you had visited 100 years ago, you would have had a much different trip. As one of the earliest parks to allow in cars, you could have still driven in. But the road from the Nisqually entrance (nearest to Ashford, WA) to Longmire would have been all that you could experience in the winter. The road from Longmire to Paradise was not kept open during the winter. (Snowplows were not as strong as they are now.) The Paradise Inn hired caretakers to spend the winter snowed in at Paradise. They could only get their mail if they snowshoed or skied down to Longmire. That was one tough job.

If you had visited 120 years ago, there wouldn’t have even been a road to Paradise. When James Longmire started his inn at Longmire, he built a rough road from Ashford to his inn and the mineral springs. Beyond the inn, only horse trails were tracked through the woods and up the hills to the subalpine meadows at Paradise.

In 1903, Congressman Francis Cushman of Washington state requested the U.S. Geological Survey scout out a road. Then, to actually build the Longmire to Paradise Road, the park rangers and their superiors at the Department of Interior turned to the War Department (this was before it became the Department of Defense). There was no National Park Service yet so the War Department sent assistant engineer Eugene Ricksecker from the Seattle office of the Army Corps of Engineers to design the Longmire to Paradise Road and oversee construction. Ricksecker made sure that the road not only provided access to Paradise but that it was scenic. He wanted a beautiful road for folks on horesback, in carriages, and automobiles to enjoy. To this day, the road still follows most of his original alignment.

Have you enjoyed the road to Paradise from Longmire in the winter or in the summer? Did you stop at any of the scenic vistas, like Ricksecker Point, to enjoy the view? ~ams

For more park history, visit https://www.nps.gov/mora/learn/historyculture/index.htm

NPS/Spillane Photo. Mount Rainier covered in winter snow viewed from Ricksecker Point. January, 2022. NPS Photo. Black and white image of auto tour. People sitting in long touring bus wearing 1920s era clothing. NPS/Spillane Photo. Snow covered landscape with road curving alongside hill. January, 2022. NPS/Spillane Photo. Road from Longmire to Paradise below Cougar Rock Campground (closed for winter) looking up to Mount Rainier. January, 2022.

Would you go to Paradise in the winter if it meant skiing or snowshoeing 1 to 2 miles to get there?

In the 1930s and 1950s, quite a few folks did. As equipment improved, the staff of the national park had been able to plow more of the road above Longmire. First, it was up to Canyon Rim pull-out and then to Narada Falls. But the road above Narada Falls was narrow with a number of switchbacks to get up to Paradise Valley. Then the road followed the side of the valley under Mazama Ridge running through known avalanche chutes. After crossing the Paradise River (at 4th Crossing bridge) the road climbed up along the valley wall to the Paradise Inn. Many winters, the road stayed under snow and people could ski or snowshoe from Narada Falls up to Paradise.

With these narrow roads and dangers, the National Park Service looked for an alternate way to access Paradise in the winter. Ideas were tossed around, even the thought of building a gondola from Glacier Bridge up to Paradise. In the end, it was decided to build another road. This came to be known as the Paradise Loop Road.

Surveyors from the Bureau of Public Roads laid out a route in 1955 to minimize avalanche danger as much as possible on the new road. In the late 1950s, construction wound its way from Narada Falls, up to the intersection we now call Canyon Y (the junction with Stevens Canyon Road), then up the hillside to the picnic area and lower parking lot. There the new Paradise Loop Road connected with the old Paradise Valley Road and made a complete loop around Paradise.

Built much wider, the Paradise Loop Road allowed for 2 lanes of traffic. The old Paradise Valley Road remains to this day a single lane with one way traffic. Due to the danger of avalanches from Mazama Ridge, the Paradise Valley Road closes every winter as snow buries it. When summer rolls around again, the heavy equipment will dig out the old one way road so we can again enjoy its beautiful meander down the Paradise Valley.

Have you enjoyed a winter drive up to Paradise? What is your favorite memory of this special snowy landscape? ~ams

A reminder that only the road from Nisqually to Paradise stays open during the winter, with a nightly gate closure at Longmire. Please check the park’s road status page https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/road-status.htm and MountRainierNPS on Twitter for current conditions.

For more park history, visit https://www.nps.gov/mora/learn/historyculture/index.htm

NPS Image. Close up of map showing Paradise with a single road in and out. From U.S. Department of the Interior Circular of General Information Regarding Mount Rainier National Park Washington, 1931. NPS/Spillane Photo. View of Paradise Valley and Mazama Ridge. Paradise Valley Road runs along the bottom of the ridge and is buried under snow. February, 2022. NPS map showing close up of Paradise with Paradise Loop Road and Paradise Valley Road (marked one-way) from www.nps.gov. NPS/Spillane Photo. View of Paradise Loop Road above Canyon Y looking up the plowed road with deep snow and trees on each side. February, 2022.

Glacier monitoring at Mount Rainier gives insight to summer stream flows.

Every year crews from the North Coast & Cascades Inventory & Monitoring Network track glacier health at Mount Rainier. In the spring, crews visit Nisqually and Emmons glaciers to measure how much new snow has accumulated on the glacier surface during the winter. Snow depth and density measurements determine how much water is held in that snowpack (snow water equivalent). Measurement rods are also installed to track snow and ice melt over the coming summer. This allows us to track accumulation (snow that becomes added ice) and melt (lost ice) over the long term.

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NPS/S.Hagen Photo: Glacier monitoring lead smiles at the success of the spring glacier trip on the lower Nisqually, 4/22/24.

In the short term, the snow depth measurements, along with data contributed from climate stations, can help us anticipate melt water availability in the summer.

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Graph of SWE at two locations on the Nisqually Glacier during drought years compared to average.

Results of the snow water equivalent (SWE), or how much water would result if all the snow melted, at two different elevations on the Nisqually Glacier are displayed in the graph. Notably, the results from a 4/22/24 survey on the Nisqually Glacier are below the average. In 2024, SWE at these elevations is higher than the drought year of 2005 but below the drought year of 2015 at both elevations.

Snow is not the only contribution to water in streams, but in our region it’s an important source.