The Best Place to Rent a Cabin at Mount Rainier
National Park Lodging – Nisqually, Ohanapecosh, & White River Areas
May 16, 2009
Mount Rainier National Park Lodging does not rent cabins inside the park. The best place to rent a cabin is just outside one of the three entrances. Rent in Ashford to be near the Nisqually Entrance. Stay at the Crystal or Greenwater area to be close to the White River Entrance. Or, try Packwood to be just outside the Ohanapecosh Entrance.
Mount Rainier National Park Lodging, within the Park Boundaries
The choices for overnight stays within Mount Rainier National Park are:
- Two Hotels: Paradise Inn or National Park Inn
- Camping in the backcountry with a special permit.
- Camping at designated areas, like Ohanapecosh campground.
Many visitors, however, prefer to rent cabins for the luxury of privacy and comfort, or to meet the needs of group accommodation. There are many great cabins to rent outside the park, yet still within beautiful national forests. These cabins can be just as charming as anything within the park proper.
Ashford Washington: Best Place to Rent a Cabin at Nisqually Entrance
The little town of Ashford Washington is near the Nisqually Entrance. This gate, in the southwest corner of Mt Rainier National Park, is open year round. It leads to Longmire and is the best way to get to Paradise when the roads are open. Here are some examples of cabins in the Ashford area:
Three Bears Lodge, Ashford WA: This is 200 yards from the park and sleeps 8. The Three Bears Company has several reasonably priced cabins nearby, which sleep 6, 10, and on up to 20 people. One of their cabins is on a creek.
Stormking Cabins and Spa, Ashford WA: This is one mile from the Nisqually entrance. Stormking has private, romantic cabins, each accommodating one couple. It comes highly recommended by Frommer’s Guide, Best Places to Kiss in the Northwest book, and Smart Money Magazine.
Cedar Creek Treehouse, Ashford WA: Ten miles from the park entrance, 50 feet up in a 200 year-old cedar tree.
Crystal Mountain and Greenwater Washington: Best Places to Rent a Cabin near White River Entrance
The closest cabins in this area have a Greenwater WA address (or sometimes an Enumclaw address). The small town of Greenwater Washington has a store or two and about 91 people. White River Entrance is in the northeast corner of the Mt Rainier park and is the best gateway to Sunrise. Here are some examples of places to stay:
- Alta Crystal Resort, Greenwater WA: These cabins are in the Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and close to the White River Entrance. The resort has a heated pool and one cabin is for honeymooners.
- Anything in Crystal River Ranch (about 10 miles from White River Entrance) or near Crystal Mountain Ski Resort. Most of these cabins are individually owned.
Packwood Washington: These Cabins are Near the Ohanapecosh Entrance to the Park:
Packwood is the city closest to the Ohanapecosh Entrance in the southeast corner of Mt Rainier National Park. And, it’s only 30 miles from Mount Saint Helens. Packwood is a small town of 1,000 people, near the Cowlitz River, in the vast wooded expanse of Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
- There are many rental cabins which are individually owned (and rented online) in the Packwood region, because the area is near White Pass Ski Resort.
Some cabins come with gear for outdoor lovers, but if that's not the case, backpacks, skis, and paddling equipment can be found at REI Gear Rentals.
Click here for more Mount Rainier info.
Mount Rainier National Park Lodging does not rent cabins inside the park. To be near the Nisqually Entrance (Longmire and Paradise), look for a rental with an Ashford address. To be near the White River Entrance, rent a cabin with a Greenwater or Crystal Mountain address. For the Ohanapecosh Entrance, choose a vacation rental with a Packwood address. Remember that most of the areas outside the national park are still within a national forest. And many of the Mt Rainier accommodations (outside the park) are nestled within deep green woodlands.
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