The annual Ride around Mount Rainier in One Day event is back on.

In the fall of 2023, RAMROD organizers applied for their annual special permit for the 150-mile, 10,000-foot elevation ride around the mountain, but now that construction on Stevens Canyon Road was completed, they wanted to once again bike through the park.

However, Mount Rainier National Park declined the permit application last February, citing safety, an increase in visitors (which have grown more than 40% over the last ten years to about 1.6 million in 2022), and that the ride would “cause unacceptable impacts to park resources or values,” which include public health and safety, environmental or scenic values, experiences for visitors not participating in the permitted activity, and more.

The Redmond Cycling Club, which organizes RAMROD, immediately sounded the alarm to its members and even some elected officials, saying that because participation has declined by 20% each year since 2022 – which Redmond Cycling Club President Joe Matthews attributed to going around the mountain, and not through it – being unable to do the usual route would likely be the death of the event, Matthews said.

He added that the Club is only able to organize the event with enough participation and buy-in to afford the national park’s permits, and there’s no guarantee there would be enough participants in following years to bring it back.

After three months negotiations, it appears the event is back on, though it’s going to be different this year than in the past.

Still, Matthews is ecstatic.

“We are thrilled to revive this Northwest tradition and welcome cyclists back to Mount Rainier National Park,” he said in a press release, adding thanks to Rep. Kin Schrier, who joined negotiations earlier this year, and park staff. “RAMROD holds a special place in the hearts of cyclists, and we are excited to continue its legacy of pushing the boundaries of cycling achievement while fostering a deep appreciation for the natural beauty of our region.”

One of the first major changes is that instead of running the event in July, riders might want to prepare for cooler weather, as the ride is now scheduled for Sept. 4.

And second, while the event will still start in Enumclaw, the route will be reversed: riders will be bike clockwise around the mountain by heading on state Route 410 past Cayuse Pass, turn onto Stevens Canyon Road to climb Inspiration Point. From there, cyclists will descend on Paradise Road passing by the Longmire area before exiting at the Nisqually Entrance and using 706 to reach Ashford, Elbe, La Grande, and finally onto SR 161, SR 162, and SR 165, which will take them into Buckley and, finally, back to Enumclaw.”

But this might not be how RAMROD is organized in future years, as this is being considered a pilot program, since there will be less time to complete the route – roughly two hours’ worth, according to Matthew, as the ride will be starting two hours and ending four hours earlier than usual – and different weather patterns that could negatively affect rider safety.

Mount Rainier has made no promises to approve future permits.

“A permit for a 2024 ride is not an approval of future events and any future permit requests will be evaluated on an individual basis,” Chief of Interpretation, Education and Volunteers Terry Wildy said in an email interview. “We would certainly consider proposed changes to the route when RCC submits its permit application packages for events in the future.”

Matthews’ team will also be collecting new cyclist/traffic interaction to use for future events in order to show Mount Rainier that their event is not an issue when they ride through the park.