Busy Weekend = Full Camps

Hey everyone,

We figured this was going to be a busy weekend!

The high camps have filled up for Friday and Saturday nights already.  Here's how it breaks down:

There are 110 people allowed at Camp Muir each night.  There are 48 people allowed at Camp Schurman.

Camp Muir & the Muir Corridor

Currently, Camp Muir is FULL Friday, July 7th, and Saturday night, July 8th.  Even for walk-up permits.  The only chance of getting a permit is if someone comes down early from their climb and checks out at the desk so that we can avail the numbers in the system.  Don't count on it.

Common overflow areas for Camp Muir are the Muir Snowfield and Ingraham Flats.  There are 36 people allowed at each of those spots.  Right now the system showabout 5 open spots for those areas.  You could conceivably walk up today or tomorrow and get one of those spots, however, this does make the climb longer from the Muir Snowfield (below 9,700').  And it is more difficult to go all the way from Paradise to Ingraham Flats in a day.  That's a long way.

Camp Schurman, the Inter Glacier, and Emmons Flats

Camp Schurman still has 15 or so spaces for Friday, but Saturday night is completely full.  Sunday looks better at this point.  Emmons Flats already has 15-20 folks both Saturday and Sunday night.

If you really want to climb Mt. Rainier this weekend, Camp Schurman is going to be your best bet, and you want to get to White River to register first thing.

I'm sure that will change by the end of 07/06 (today).

Single Push Climbers
Often climbers seeking to avoid camping restrictions try to climb the mountain in a 'single push.'  Single push climbers count toward the tally of total climbers on the route, even though they are not setting up camp. As such, single push permits WILL NOT be issued if the high camps are full.

Resource Protection and Visitor Safety

The current limits on campers at each camp each night has been in place for a few decades.  These numbers represent the maximum limit of people that each area can handle with regards to resource protection and visitor safety.  For example at Camp Muir, when we have more than 110 people camping, the number of climbers on the route gets so large that it becomes unsafe.  Rockfall from climbers above, long wait times at pinch points or technical crossings or ascents become untenable, as well as lines for the bathrooms (and managing the human waste collection systems) can all reach emergent conditions.

To ensure and satiate your desire to plan, we recommend that you submit a reservation.  Roughly 60% of the total of each zone or camp can be reserved.  40% are reserved for walk-up permits.

Reservations

To make a reservation for the coming weeks, please visit the following site.  We recommend this every weekend from here on out.

Google Form for Climbing Reservations