MOUNT RAINER NATIONAL PARK

July, 2021

We’ve been able to view the majesty of Mount Ranier for the past couple of days. A clear view of the summit has been our companion since we traveled over Snoqualmie Pass, and all the way into Seattle. It has stayed with us during our journey south through Olympia and ultimately north into Shelton. We could see the mountain’s faint image from Seattle’s waterfront. It was time to spend a day “up close and personal.”

Mount Rainier is the traditional land of the Cowlitz, Muckleshoot, Nisqually, Puyallup, Squaxin Island, and Yakama tribes, and until 1792 remained exclusively inhabited by Native Americans. Captain George Vancouver of the British Royal Navy was the first European to observe and explore the mountain and surrounding lands declaring eminent domain for Her Majesty the Queen. He decided to name the mountain after his friend, Rear Admiral Peter Rainier.

Ascending to 14,410 feet above sea level, Mount Rainier is an active volcano, and home to 25 glaciers – the most glaciated peak in the contiguous U.S.A. Run-off from the glaciers feeds major rivers and their tributaries, including the Puyallup, White, Carbon, Cowlitz and Nisqually Rivers. Subalpine wildflower meadows ring the icy volcano while ancient forests cloak the lower slopes.

In 1899 Mount Rainier became our Nation’s fifth national park, and the first to be established after the Forest Reserve Act of 1891 that created the U.S. Forest Service.

There are 4 entrances to Mount Rainer National Park, each of which is quite a long distance from any other.

We passed through the Nisqually Entrance and drove to one of the Park’s major areas/attractions – Longmire. Mount Rainier National Park’s first visitor center and park entrance station, Longmire has been welcoming visitors since the 1880s. Located in the southwest corner of the Park in magnificent old-growth forest along the Nisqually River, Longmire was founded by intrepid Northwest emigrant James Longmire in 1883. Longmire’s home had become the Park’s headquarters, and with the construction of a new administration building is now a museum dedicated to telling the story of the early days of Mount Ranier National Park.

A short distance from Longmire is another of the Park’s major areas/attractions – Paradise. Paradise is home to Mount Ranier National Park’s largest Visitors Center, and is a popular stop for hiking, and is known for its amazing vistas.

Located in the southeast corner of the park is the Ohanapecosh Entrance and Visitors Center. Situated among Douglas firs, western red cedars, and western hemlocks, visitors to Ohanapecosh can experience the beauty and complexity of an old-growth forest.

Sunrise Entrance and Visitors Center is at the far reaches of the northeast part of the Park. At an elevation of 6,400 feet, Sunrise is the highest point that can be reached by vehicle within the Park.

Named for coal deposits found in the area, Carbon River Entrance and Visitors Center is located in the park’s northwest corner. This part of Mount Rainier National Park receives consistently high amounts of rainfall so the climate and plant communities found here resemble that of a temperate rainforest. Here too is Mowich Lake, the largest and deepest lake in Mount Rainier National Park.

Simply, pictures are truly worth a thousand words…

Early on during our visit Barbara had to stop and catch her breath as the astounding beauty of the Park brought a tear to her eyes.

We spent the best part of a day in Mount Ranier National Park, and were barely able to experience all that one section of the Park’s 236,381 acres (369.3 square miles) had to offer. Let’s face it – Mount Ranier National Park is a gem that left us wanting more.

Brian and Barbara

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.“ – Henry David Thoreau