This is the last weekend to enjoy the snowplay area at Paradise at Mount Rainier National Park.

Sunday will be the last day for snowplay and the guided walks, said Chuck Young, chief ranger at Mount Rainier National Park.

The snowshoe walks are start at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The walk covers 1 ½ miles and takes about two hours. The walks are are limited to 25 people, 8 years old or older, on a first-come, first-served basis. Sign up at the Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center information desk one hour before each walk. A $4 donation …

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UPDATED AT 11:12 A.M.

Mount Rainier officials are now estimating the road from Longmire to Paradise will be open about noon. Crews are currently plowing the parking lots and road at Paradise.

The Paradise area has received 14 inches of snow since Friday afternoon.

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Plenty of new snow in the mountains is causing access issues in some places, but should make for a good day on the ski slopes.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning until Sunday night. The forecast calls for at least of foot of snow in the mountain passes.

With …

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UPDATE: The road above Longmire is expected to be closed again Monday as searchers look for a missing snowshoer.

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The snowplay area at Paradise will be open this weekend, Mount Rainier National Park announced earlier today.

While the area will be open, there will be limited runs until Paradise receives some additional snow. There is currently 72 inches on the ground. The National Weather Service forecast for Paradise calls for 4-8 inches of new snow Saturday, 2-5 inches Sunday and 2-4 inches on Monday.

The area has been closed since the Jan. 1 shooting death of law …

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There is a good chance the snowplay area at Paradise will open this weekend.

In the last 24 hours, more than a foot of snow has fallen at the popular winter play area at Mount Rainier National Park. The forecast calls for another eight-15 inches of snow.

How soon the area can open depends on just how much snow falls, said Chuck Young, the park’s chief ranger.

Crews will not start grooming the snowplay area runs Saturday until they have cleared the road from Longmire to Paradise. That didn’t happen until about noon today. Once the road is open, they …

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While Paradise did not receive as much snow as expected, the area popular winter play area at Mount Rainier National Park has been receiving fresh snow.

The current snowpack level is 64 inches, according to weather telemetry this morning.

The park announced a short time ago that the snowplay area has not opened yet.

I’m awaiting word from the park’s chief ranger on whether a target date has been set.

Thanks to new snow overnight, there is now 62 inches of snow on the ground at Paradise.

Mount Rainier National Park officials said this morning, however, that the snowplay area at Paradise remains closed. The area was scheduled to open Dec. 17 but there was not enough snow.

They like to have a minimum of 60 inches on the ground so they can create safe sledding runs, and also to protect the vegetation beneath the snowplay area.

If the forecast holds true, the area could open soon. The National Weather Service is calling for 7-15 inches of new snow …

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The word is official, the opening of the snowplay area at Mount Rainier National Park has been delayed. There just isn’t enough snow on the ground to allow the area to open Saturday as planned.

While the Paradise area has received some new snow in the last two days, it’s not enough to allow the area to open.

Park officials like to have a minimum base of 60 inches before they groom the runs. That is for visitor safety and to protect the subalpine vegetation underneath the play area.

As of this morning, there are 56 inches of snow …

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Earlier this afternoon, officials at Mount Rainier National Park said the opening of the snowplay area at Paradise likely will be delayed.

Unless the mountain receives significant amounts of snow before Dec. 16, the snow play will not open as scheduled on Dec. 17, a park announcement said.

This afternoon, the snowpack at Paradise was measuring 51 inches deep. Park officials like to have a minimum of 60 inches before opening the area.

When the snow really began to fall before Thanksgiving, snow depths at Paradise topped the 60-inch mark. But little new snow has fallen since, plus warm temperatures …

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