Benches Along the Trails of Paradise
Completed - September 2023
We are happy to announce the bench project is complete! Twenty benches were built and placed at various locations up at Paradise. To see where they are located, please click on the link below.
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UPDATE as of July 28, 2023
Craig Frohbieter, Mount Rainier National Park, reports:
"Bench project is going well. We've collected and prepped all the material. We've managed to get 9 completed. 6 are at Paradise, staged for installation. I'd say 50% complete. Putting together the rest will go fairly quickly since material is gathered and prepped. We'll be working to finish up by September 7, when our rented utility buggy is due to be returned. Please thank the donors for giving us an excellent project to work on when we have odd hours to fill. The project allows for our folks to develop and hone chainsaw skills in regard to shaping and coping."
NPS photo
Mount Rainier’s trail network in Paradise is one of the most popular hiking areas in the park, seeing millions of boots every year. Paradise draws a wide range of user groups to its trails, from all ages, fitness levels, and physical abilities. While using the trails network at Paradise, these user groups are often looking for some sort of reprieve from the aggressive grades/climbs throughout the trails network. The search for reprieve often leads folks onto sensitive meadows in search of large rocks to sit on. Providing rustic log benches for reprieve in historically designated areas would allow hikers to rest without negatively impacting Paradise meadows. Providing benches for rest will improve the visitor experience and protect sensitive meadows from preventable human impact. That is why the park’s trail crew is aiming to produce and install 15-20 new rustic log benches, each with an expected lifespan of between 15 and 20 years. The project will take place during the area’s shoulder seasons in April and October to minimize disruption to visitors.
The Tide SW Foundation provided funding through Washington’s National Park Fund for the Bench Project. This provides for three trail employees for five weeks of material gathering and fabrication, as well as a one-month UTV rental, one-month truck rental, and the hardware needed to produce the benches.
In April 2023, the park began collecting, milling and fabricating the benches. Construction will follow and will likely take through the summer and into the fall to complete them. Installation will take place either Fall 2023 or Spring/Summer 2024.
Text courtesy of WNPF