The area is in the Nisqually River valley at an elevation of 2,761 feet (842 m)[2] between The Ramparts Ridge and the Tatoosh Range.

On August 16, 1883, George Bayley, Philemon Van Trump and James Longmire made the third successful ascent of Mt.

During their return trip Longmire discovered several mineral hot springs just north of Bear Prairie.

In that year, the Tacoma and Eastern Railroad built the original National Park Inn at Longmire, a three-story building with accommodation for 60 guests.

[14] Constructed in an early rustic style, a Hiker's Center was built in 1911 by the Tacoma and Eastern Railroad.

Although the property was cleaned up and improved, operating as "The New Longmire Springs Hotel", it still did not meet the quality level of the National Park Inn across the road.

The Rainier National Park Company intended to promote the area by advertising the medicinal qualities of the spring water.

However, the Bureau of Chemistry's Hygienic Lab in Washington, D.C. tested the waters and concluded that they didn't have any medicinal value.

In 1927, the Landscape Engineering Division of the National Park Service San Francisco office created a development plan to give "a sense of order"[9] to the buildings the government and concessionaires had built in the Longmire Plaza area south of the road.

Three particularly significant buildings came about as a result of this plan, each of which demonstrated the National Park Service efforts to construct structures "that harmonized with the rugged slopes of Mount Rainier".

[9] The Community Building (1927) is a good example of early National Park Service Rustic style.

Features such as the heavy masonry first floor and timber second story were influenced by the 1924 administration building at Yosemite.

Careful selection of local boulders was important in achieving a building that matches the surrounding landscape.

[16] Longmire, along with Paradise, were among the most badly affected areas in the November 6, 2006 Pineapple Express rainstorm when 18 inches (457 mm) of rain fell in a 36-hour period, causing extensive flood damage and road closures.

State Route 706 (the Nisqually entrance to Paradise road) which serves Longmire was closed due to flood damage until May 5, 2007.