Nine Mile Stretch of Stevens Canyon Road at Mount Rainier Closed for Remainder of Season

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Stevens Canyon Road between Stevens Creek and Box Canyon will be closed to all vehicle, foot and bicycle traffic for the remainder of the season, the Mount Rainier National Park announced Friday.

The decision to close the section of the highway came after the Federal Highways Administration released the results of an inspection on Sept. 26 revealing one of the bridges along Stevens Canyon Road was unsafe for two-lane travel due to structural damage, according to a news release.

Stevens Canyon Road between Backbone Ridge and Stevens Creek will be closed to all through traffic from Oct. 10-14 due to ongoing construction work in the area, Mount Rainier National Park announced in the same news release. Box Canyon to Backbone Ridge will reopen Oct. 15 and 16 before the annual seasonal closure begins Oct. 17.

Contractors will be working between Stevens Creek and Backbone Ridge through Oct. 31 to replace and repair stone guard walls, drainage grates and the road surface, according to the news release.



Stevens Canyon Road is the only road inside the park that connects the west side of the park, which includes Paradise and Longmire, to the east side, which includes Ohanapecosh and White River. A detour has been in place since the beginning of the summer due to ongoing construction in the area. Visitors must drive around the park via state Route 12 through Morton and Packwood to travel between these areas.

Access in the construction zone, including vehicle, bicycle and foot traffic, along Stevens Canyon Road is prohibited.

The construction is part of a multi-year project that is anticipated to last through mid-2024, according to a news release.

For more information on Mount Rainier National Park, visit www.nps.gov/mora.