By Alex Day, Marketing & Communications Director
“Mount Rainier belongs to all of us — and we’re making sure everyone can experience it.”
That simple belief has inspired an extraordinary, multi-year collaboration at Mount Rainier National Park. Since 2023, the Access for All project has been working to make the mountain’s trails, facilities, and digital resources more accessible to people of all abilities.
Thanks to committed National Park Service staff, with support from Washington’s National Park Fund and a wide network of advocates and community partners including Move United, Beneficial Designs, the National Park Foundation, and Outdoors for All, this effort is transforming how visitors plan, experience, and enjoy their time in the park.
The seeds of this project were planted in 2021, when accessibility experts visited the park to conduct a Self-Evaluation Transition Protocol (SETP).
That process showed that there were areas the park could improve on to ensure that it’s accessible to all, as visitors with disabilities faced physical barriers and information gaps that could prevent or discourage them from exploring the park. From uneven trail access to a lack of detailed trip planning resources, barriers to inclusion persisted, especially for visitors with mobility needs.
What followed was a shared commitment across partners to address those challenges. The park recognized that online photos and descriptions are critical for visitors with accessibility needs to evaluate their options before committing to the time and expense of visiting a site, and set in motion a project to deliver a solution to that need.
With a $55,000 grant from WNPF, in 2023 the park acquired a High-Efficiency Trail Assessment Process (HETAP) machine to begin systematically collecting data on trail accessibility and usability and hired a seasonal staff member to develop detailed digital content on accessible resources and trails across the park’s most visited destinations.
The goal? Creation of an online accessibility guide featuring photos and descriptions for the park’s accessible parking, restrooms, restroom and parking access lanes, accessible campsites, and the most accessible and usable trails in the Longmire, Paradise, Carbon River, Sunrise, Ohanapecosh, Mowich, and Tipsoo Lake areas.
Over three years, the park has accomplished tangible strides with the help of several organizations.
In June of 2023, Mount Rainier National Park organized and hosted a HETAP training for park staff and participants from Washington Trails Association, Move United, and Outdoors for All. That summer, the park also hired an employee from the Great Basin Institute to use the HETAP machine to help develop the online accessibility guide, and hosted a recreation day using adaptive equipment from Outdoors for All.
In addition to providing funding for the initial HETAP purchase and to support the hiring of the seasonal employee, WNPF donors covered the cost for trail staff from Olympic and North Cascades National Parks to travel to Mount Rainier so they could also be trained to use the HETAP machine — an intentional step toward expanding access across all three of Washington’s national parks.
In its second year, WNPF funding supported the park in producing a printable Mount Rainier Accessibility Guide, including a version in large print for visitors with low vision; these guides can be downloaded here: www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/accessibility.htm.
The park also expanded their focus to include enhanced content for visitors who are Deaf, blind, neurodiverse, or have limited mobility, meaning trip planning information is being reimagined not just for physical accessibility, but also for cognitive and sensory inclusion.
Now in its third year, this impactful project continues to grow with support from new and returning partners, showing that Access for All truly takes us all.
In summer 2025, Beneficial Designs and Move United, with funding from the National Park Foundation, organized and led trail assessments at Mount Rainier National Park, and WNPF funded two park visual information specialists to assist.
Through the assessments, information collected included trail characteristics such as surface type, tread width, running slope, cross slope, and obstacles — all data points that will allow the park to create and share resources to help visitors determine what trails fit their abilities. It’s truly a collaborative effort to create a more accessible experience for all visitors of Washington’s iconic mountain.
In 2026, the park hopes to continue to grow this project, including adding trail accessibility data to its website and NPS Mobile App for visitor use and updating printed accessibility guides to reflect recent improvements in the Ohanapecosh area following upgrades made during the 2025 campground rehabilitation.
The Access for All project exemplifies what can happen when we come together — community groups, nonprofits, philanthropists, volunteers, and National Park Service staff — with a shared belief that public lands are for all.
Together, we’re helping ensure everyone can experience the wonder of Mount Rainier and creating a more inclusive future — one trail, one ramp, and one story at a time.
Washington’s National Park Fund is the official philanthropic partner of Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic National Parks. With the help of thousands of individual donors, foundations, and corporations, we raise private support to preserve and protect Washington’s national parks, funding scientific research, youth and family experiences, and projects that will keep these parks strong and vital now and forever, for everyone.
We’re grateful to our friends at the Norcliffe Foundation for their generous support of this priority project. You can join the movement and support projects like this one by giving back at wnpf.org/donate.
Cover photo: Hikers walk through the fall colors at Paradise (NPS Photo by Ivie Metzen)