Mount Rainier Superintendent Randy King advises that entrance fees into Mount Rainier National Park will be waived Monday, Jan. 21 in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday.

Other fee free days at National Park Service areas in 2013 will include: National Park Week (April 22-26); Great Outdoors Day (June 8); National Park Service Birthday (Aug. 25); National Public Lands Day (Sept. 28); and Veterans Day weekend (Nov. 9-11).

At Mount Rainier the Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center will be open Saturday, Sunday and Monday, as well as the Paradise snowplay area. Public snowshoe walks are offered at 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. A sign-up sheet is available at the Jackson Visitor Center information desk one hour before each walk. Walks are limited to 25 people, eight years old or older, on a first-come-first-served basis. A $4 donation from each participant helps defray the cost to repair and replace snowshoes.

Visitors should dress with layers of warm clothes, hats, mittens, suitable boots, and have sunscreen and sunglasses. The walk is 1.2 miles and lasts about two hours.

The National Park Inn at Longmire is also open daily and offers lodging, dining, a general store/gift shop, ski and snowshoe rentals and tire chain purchases. Lodging, food, gifts and other amenities are also available in the gateway communities surrounding the park. Visitors planning to come to the park should check for current weather and road conditions. Recorded information is available by calling 360-569-2211.

Park visitors are reminded that all vehicles are required to carry tire chains when traveling in the park during the winter season (Nov 1 - May 1). This requirement applies to all vehicles (including four-wheel drive), regardless of tire type or weather conditions.

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