White River Developed Area: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Mount Rainier National Park
Regions 8, 9, 10, & 12 Park Cultural Landscapes Program and Architectural Resources Group. 2022. White River Developed Area: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Mount Rainier National Park. Cultural Landscapes Inventory Report. 976214. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
White River Developed Area is located in Pierce County in Washington State, approximately 70 miles southeast of Tacoma, Washington, and 25 miles south of Greenwater, in the northeast portion of Mount Rainier National Park. Centered around the iconic namesake active volcano, Mount Rainier National Park covers over 236,000 acres in the Cascade Mountains, the vast majority of which are designated as preserved wilderness. In addition to the mountain and its alpine glacial environment, Mount Rainier National Park boasts a variety of subalpine ecosystems, including dense old growth forests, subalpine meadows, and glacial valleys associated with several significant watersheds, including the Paradise, Cowlitz, Nisqually, Puyallup, and White rivers. White River Developed Area is located on the northeastern side of Mount Rainier along the north embankment of the White River, which runs through a steep glacial valley and is fed by the Emmons Glacier. It is accessed by White River Road, which extends east 6.4 miles from Mather Memorial Parkway, also referred to as Washington State Route 410. White River Developed Area is a good, intact example of National Park Service (NPS) Mission 66-era development. While elements in the White River area were initially developed as a backcountry hiking area in the early twentieth century as part of the Wonderland Trail, which circumnavigates the volcano, White River Developed Area was not expanded and developed to its current form until the implementation of the Mission 66 program. Elements associated with this era of development, which were primarily constructed between 1961 and 1963, include the ranger station, picnic area, and much of the campground infrastructure, such as the sites, internal circulation (roadways), comfort stations, and surface parking. The White River Developed Area has been determined eligible for listing on the NRHP under Criteria A and C with local significance under the NPS Mission 66 MPD. Overall, the landscape is in fair condition.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Regions 8, 9, 10, & 12 Park Cultural Landscapes Program; Architectural Resources Group
- Date of Issue
- 2022-01-07
- Publisher
- U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
- Units
- MORA , PWR
- Keywords
- architecture, campground, comfort station, entertainment, Mission 66, overnight use, patrol cabin, picnic area, recreation, visitor accommodation
- Subjects
- NPS.gov Subject Site: Cultural Landscapes , CRIS-CL: 976214: White River Developed Area