At Mount Rainier National Park, the 2026 season ran without a timed-entry reservation system.^[1] That change holds as the park turns to winter. Mount Rainier gets heavy snow from roughly November through May.^[2] Across the range, the North Cascades have had their first heavy snowfall of the season.^[3] What the winter closesA ranger reads the alerts page before the map. Sunrise and White River roads are closed for the winter.^[4] All trails in the Grand Park area are closed until further notice.^[5] The Wonderland Trail is closed from the Carbon River Suspension Bridge to White River Campground.^[6] The Northern Loop Trail is closed.^[7] The Wonderland Complex fires remain active in the park.^[8] Some closures are longer. The Grove of the Patriarchs is closed to all public entry.^[9] That closure follows bridge damage in the November 2021 flood.^[10] The bridge replacement is set for 2027 to 2028.^[11] Road access to Mowich Lake and Carbon River is blocked until at least 2031.^[12] Ohanapecosh Campground is closed through at least February 2027.^[13] What the year fixedThe park's monitoring got better. The lahar detection system received major upgrades.^[14] A record earthquake swarm began at the mountain on July 8, 2025.^[15] The U.S. Geological Survey kept the alert level at green, or normal, through it.^[16] On Aug. 4, 2025, scientists flew the first airborne volcanic gas survey at Rainier since 1998.^[17] They found no sulfur dioxide.^[18] The counts behind the park are large. Ninety-seven percent of Mount Rainier National Park is designated wilderness.^[19] Entrance stations are cashless.^[20] Drones are prohibited in the park.^[21] North CascadesTo the north, the season has turned. Trails and passes above 4,000 feet have several inches of snow.^[22] Seasonal bridges near Stehekin have been removed for the winter.^[23] The Stehekin area is prone to flooding in its post-fire landscape.^[24] Backcountry permits are required year round for every overnight trip.^[25] Overnight camping at trailheads is prohibited.^[26] The plain readFor a winter visit from the Sound, the ground rules are set. No reservation at the gate.^[1] A card, not cash, at the entrance.^[20] Snow on everything above 4,000 feet in the North Cascades.^[22] And a mountain whose warning network is newer than it was a year ago.^[14]