For now, if you'd like to suggest an edit for this entry leave a comment and we'll consider it, we may allow some logged-in users to directly edit entries in the future.
Mount Rainier is the higest peak in Washington State, visible from many points in Western Washington State.
Table of Contents
About Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier is the highest peak in Washington State at 14,411 ft. As Wikipedia puts it, it’s the “most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States,” meaing it’s very visible. It sticks out, which has led to the often-heard phrase around here: “The Mountain is Out!,” on days when the area’s often overcast weather does not obscure it.
Mount Rainier and the surrounding Mount Rainier National Park is a popular tourist spot for its natural beauty which includes much old growth forest, meadows (with wildflowers! generally the best time to go has been late July or August).
The mountain is an active volcano. though not an eruptive one!
Map
The map below is just the location of the mountain itself. Please do not use it for GPS directions! Mount Rainier National Park has five different entrances.
Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier is the highest peak in Washington State and an active (though fortunately not eruptive) volcano. It's a very prominent landscape feature from many places in Western Washington.
Please do NOT use this marker for GPS locations! It's just noting the location of the mountain itself, and the surrounding Mount Rainier National Park has five different entrance locations. For more information about that visit this page on the NPS website.
Photos
Below are photos of Mount Rainier that we’ve taken or that users have uploaded. A few photos may be available in larger sizes on PNWLens, but we’ll try to note that if it’s the case.
If you’re interested in adding an image to this gallery, you must be registered and logged in to access the photo upload form below this gallery
Books
The books below have to do more with the History of Mount Rainier. For a list of hiking guides and maps, please visit the related Mount Rainier National Park entry.
- Antonelis-Lapp, Jeff (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 276 Pages – 03/01/2020 (Publication Date) – Washington State University Press (Publisher)
- Hardcover Book
- Anderson, Jeff (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 128 Pages – 05/22/2017 (Publication Date) – Arcadia Publishing (Publisher)
- Smith, Allan H (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 192 Pages – 05/01/2006 (Publication Date) – Washington State University Press (Publisher)
Wikipedia and List of On and Off-Site Related Resources
When available, we import some Wikipedia information to supplement terms. If available, you’ll find that below followed by a list of on and offsite related articles and automatically linked articles on our website that mention this term. Note that you’ll need to scroll down below the Wikipedia stuff to find the related content list. We hope to change this in the future.
You’ll also want to be sure to check the Mount Rainier National Park official website.
You might also be interested in...
Mount Rainier (/reɪˈnɪər/ ray-NEER), also known as Tahoma, is a large active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest in the United States. The mountain is located in Mount Rainier National Park about 59 miles (95 km) south-southeast of Seattle. With an officially recognized summit elevation of 14,410 ft (4,392 m) at the Columbia Crest, it is the highest mountain in the U.S. state of Washington, the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States, and the tallest in the Cascade Volcanic Arc.
| Mount Rainier | |
|---|---|
| Tahoma | |
 Mount Rainier's northwestern slope viewed aerially just before sunset on September 6, 2020 | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 14,410 ft (4,392 m) NGVD 29 |
| Prominence | 13,210 ft (4,030 m) |
| Isolation | 731 mi (1,176 km)[unreliable source?] |
| Listing | |
| Coordinates | 46°51′11″N 121°45′36″W / 46.853°N 121.76°W |
| Naming | |
| Etymology | Peter Rainier |
| Geography | |
  Mount Rainier | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Pierce County |
| Protected area | Mount Rainier National Park |
| Parent range | Cascade Range |
| Topo map | USGS Mount Rainier West |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | 500,000 years |
| Mountain type | Stratovolcano |
| Volcanic arc | Cascade Volcanic Arc |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1870 by Hazard Stevens and P. B. Van Trump |
| Easiest route | rock/ice climb via Disappointment Cleaver |
Due to its high probability of an eruption in the near future and proximity to a major urban area, Mount Rainier is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world, and it is on the Decade Volcano list. The large amount of glacial ice means that Mount Rainier could produce massive lahars that could threaten the entire Puyallup River valley and other river valleys draining Mount Rainier, including the Carbon, White, Nisqually, and Cowlitz (above Riffe Lake). According to the United States Geological Survey's 2008 report, "about 80,000 people and their homes are at risk in Mount Rainier's lahar-hazard zones."
Between 1950 and 2018, 439,460 people climbed Mount Rainier. Approximately 84 people died in mountaineering accidents on Mount Rainier from 1947 to 2018.
Rate this Term
Click on a coffee cup to rate it.Term first added by:
By: Cheryl
Typically seen: drinking coffee, blogging, reading, riding a bike, or holding a camera.
website: https://www.pnwbeyond.com
View my profile
Subscribe to email newsletters
Get notified of new content. "Whatever" will subscribe you to random newsletters with content we think you might like, and the other options are digests will ALL content within a specific time period. Want to customize your choices? Sign up here.