Season: Year-Round

The Longmire Community Building area includes a picnic table and a small parking lot next to the Nisqually River. Fed by the Nisqually Glacier, the braided riverbed is filled with large glacier boulders. The view up the valley is one of the best views of Mount Rainier in the Longmire area. The Rampart Ridge lava flow appears as a forested hillside to the lower left of the mountain.

The historic Longmire Community Building is visible on the opposite side of the parking area. Closed to the public, the community building served as the social activity center at Longmire for many years. Constructed in 1927, the architect Thomas Vint used materials from inside the park whenever possible to achieve the famous "NPS rustic" style of architecture. Standing in front of the Longmire Community Building, you can clearly see how the rock foundations of the historic building match the rounded boulders of the Nisqually River. National Park Service buildings are designed to integrate into the scenery. Keep an eye out for NPS rustic construction elsewhere at Longmire and throughout Mount Rainier National Park.

The Mount Rainier Valor Memorial is located a 50-foot walk south past the Longmire Community building across the gravel road. This cluster of stone pillars memorializes the park employees who have given their lives to save others at Mount Rainier National Park.

The Longmire Community Building is still used by federal employees for meetings, lectures, and training classes at Mount Rainier National Park. It is possible for the 16-space parking lot to be unexpectedly full when you visit.