White River Road and Sunrise Road, together formerly known as the Yakima Park Highway, is a road that enters Mount Rainier National Park in the northeast and connects Mather Memorial Parkway to White River Campground and Sunrise, located in Yakima Park. It was surveyed in 1926 and built between 1927[1] or 1929 and 1931.[2] Landscape architect Ernest A. Davidson was involved in its construction;[1] it was one of the first roads to have scenic pullouts, viewpoints, and retaining walls built with rocks that blended in with the landscape.[2] At 6,400 feet, Sunrise is still the highest point in the national park accessible by road.[3][4]

View of Sunrise Road from just west of Banshee Peak on 14 October 2024; Sunrise Road is already closed and White River Road was closed later that day. Yakima Park is the meadow near the top of the ridge, and White River Road runs through the valley below.

References

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  1. ^ a b McClelland, Linda Flint (1993). Presenting Nature: The Historic Landscape Design of the National Park Service, 1916 to 1942. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Cultural Resources, Interagency Resources Division, National Register of Historic Places. p. 186. ISBN 978-0-16-045136-2.
  2. ^ a b Filley, Bette (1996). The Big Fact Book about Mount Rainier: Fascinating Facts, Records, Lists, Topics, Characters and Stories. Dunamis House. p. 297. ISBN 978-1-880405-06-2.
  3. ^ "National Park Service: Highways in Harmony (Mount Rainier)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  4. ^ H I S T O R I C AMERICAN ENGINEERING RECORD—MATHER MEMORIAL PARKWAY (W ashington Highway 410) Mount Rainier National Park HAER No. WA-125