Best Places to Go Sledding and Tubing for Seattle-Area Kids and Families
Photo:
Mount Rainier snow play area
4. Mount Rainier National Park
There is only one place where sledding is permitted in Mount Rainier National Park. It’s the designated snow play area immediately north of the upper parking lot at Paradise, near the Jackson Visitor Center (which you can access through the Nisqually entrance to the park). The entrance to the park is located about 87 miles from Seattle, about 65 miles from Tacoma.
This ungroomed area is supervised by park rangers. Wooden toboggans and sleds with metal runners are prohibited.
Fee: $30 fee to enter the park for a private vehicle; no additional cost for sledding.
Status: Due to a staffing shortage, the Paradise snow play area is currently closed and not expected to open for the 2023–24 season. Check the website for status and the Mount Rainier NPS Twitter feed for road conditions, updates, snow conditions and requirements. The Paradise winter access website has more details. This season the road from Longmire to Paradise is open five days a week, Thursday–Monday, with nightly closures, weather, staff and equipment permitting. The road is closed closed Tuesday and Wednesday.
Hours: Closed for the 20232–24 season. Check back for future changes.
Warm up: Head to the Jackson Visitor Center, where you can visit the snack bar, use restrooms and warm up (open weekends as weather permits).
Next up: Leavenworth’s Ski Hill
