Standalone driving guide
Tacoma to Mount Rainier drive map
Follow the Nisqually corridor to Longmire and Paradise, with elevation context and official road and trail notices.
The drive
The line shows the planning corridor between verified waypoints, not live turn-by-turn routing. Use live directions for traffic and exact navigation.
Tacoma → Paradise
Tacoma → Elbe → Ashford → Nisqually Entrance → Longmire → Paradise
Distance
About 60 miles to the Nisqually Entrance; 19 additional park miles to Paradise
Driving time
Allow about 2 hours to the entrance, then additional slow mountain-road time
Elevation change
Tacoma lowlands to Paradise at about 5,400 ft
Park roads are winding, generally slow, and may close for weather. GPS can suggest the wrong entrance. Route facts checked Sep 16, 2026.
Elevation profile
From Puget Sound to Paradise
243 ft
Tacoma
2,000 ft
Nisqually Entrance
2,760 ft
Longmire
5,400 ft
Paradise
Elevations are waypoint context, not a continuous surveyed road profile. Tacoma and entrance elevations are approximate because terrain and reference points vary.
Live official checks
Road conditions and trail closures
These summaries refresh every 30 minutes. Official NPS and WSDOT pages take priority, especially after storms, fires or construction changes.
Drive it in order
Distances inside the park come from the National Park Service. Travel times are estimates and can grow with traffic, wildlife, snow and parking.
- 1
Tacoma
About 243 ft elevation
Directions - 2
Elbe
Directions - 3
Ashford
Directions - 4
Nisqually Entrance
About 2,000 ft elevation
Directions - 5
Longmire
About 2,760 ft elevation
Directions - 6
Paradise
About 5,400 ft elevation
Directions
Turn the drive into a full day
Add a Tacoma hotel, breakfast, park stops, dinner and an optional second night.
Tacoma Trekker is an independent guide and is not affiliated with the National Park Service. Check official conditions immediately before travel.