Descent from Paradise
Downhill Descents
Downhill Descents
Paradise at Mt Rainier is a spectacular place to begin a ride.
The descent from Paradise is not the one described by Milton, but the road from Paradise to Longmire in Mt. Rainier National Park. It is a thirteen mile drop from alpine meadows at timberline to into a Pacific Northwest old growth lowland forest. The short ride is equivilant to traveling from the Arctic to a latitude several thousand miles south.
I first became fascinated with the Paradise-Longmire road during the summer my family took its first annual triip from New Jersey to Mt. Rainier in the early 1950s. This picture was taken in July.
I first became fascinated with the Paradise-Longmire road during the summer my family took its first annual triip from New Jersey to Mt. Rainier in the early 1950s. This picture was taken in July.
Doreen and I had a July picnic at Paradise on a trip to assess the Paradise-Longmire road for a trike ride.
You can even stay here at the Paradise Lodge.
The Paradise Valley Road is one of two routes for the first mile or so of descent.
The road to Paradise was originally constructed to have a grade of no more than 4%. This was considered to be the steepest grade that a horse could trot safely, and was ideal for walkers and cyclists.