The Road to Rainier Scenic Byway follows the most popular–and only year-round–route to Mount Rainier National Park. Travelers make wind their way through Eatonville, Elbe, Mineral and Ashford before entering the Park through the Nisqually Entrance. The route highlights family-friendly activities, Visitor’s Centers, hiking trails, fishing opportunities, and more. In fact, the mission of the Byway is to “enhance the region’s cultural, historical, and recreational amenities while creating a memorable experience for visitors from around the world.”
By encouraging Mount Rainier visitors to spend more time in the surrounding communities, the Scenic Byway is a useful tool in promoting the sustainability of the tourism economy in the region. It has useful information designed to increase the amount of time people spend enjoying the many activities the Nisqually Watershed has to offer. In addition, the Scenic Byway works to protect the scenic vistas found along the route.
The Road to Rainier Scenic Byway is spearheaded by the Nisqually Land Trust, and an advisory committee of diverse stakeholders. Sarah Scott is the Coordinator for the Byway, and will be presenting on the latest planning effort at the August NRC meeting. If you’re interested in learning more, consider joining us!
The meeting will be on Friday, August 19 from 9:30 – 12:30 at the Longmire Community Center in Mt Rainier National Park. Questions? Contact Morgan Greene, NRC Program Coordinator, at 360.438.8715.
About the Nisqually Watershed Stewardship Plan
The Nisqually River Council (NRC) is a non-regulatory education and advocacy organization that works to promote sustainability in the Nisqually Watershed. The NRC was formed in 1987 and has 24 active members, including a robust Citizens Advisory Committee. The NRC is guided by the Nisqually Watershed Stewardship Plan (NWSP) which provides a blueprint towards ecological, economic and social sustainability. The NWSP has 11 indicators that direct the actions of the NRC and associated non-profits. As a part of our 2016 blog feed, we will highlight each of the 11 indicators during the first week of each month. We hope you’ll read along and learn more about the Nisqually Watershed!
This month’s topic is Sustainable Tourism. We work to support sustainable tourism and recreation. We envision that:
- An abundance of sustainable recreation opportunities exist within the watershed.
- A vital agricultural tourism industry exists.
- Scenic vistas and viewpoints are protected.
- Non-traditional experiential tourism is supported.
