Mount Rainier is the highest mountain of the Cascade Range.
Check out our video on our visit to North Cascades national Park below.
This 14,410-foot-tall active volcano is truly an amazing sight if you catch it on a clear day. Sunrise Visitor’s Center is the highest point you can attain by car. Mount Rainier is a beautiful park in the National Park System, our 21st park out of 59! While some roads were still closed to Sunrise, we were still able to enjoy driving through this beautiful forest while trying to catch a glimpse of Mount Rainier.
We visited mid-June and it rained and snowed on us in the same trip. We never expected such crazy weather but it is on top of a mountain, after all. The highest elevation we gained was around 5,400 feet at Paradise Visitor’s Center. Shortly after we arrived it began to snow quite heavily turning the visitor center area into a snowy winter wonderland. People were still enjoying winter activities; snowshoeing, cross country skiing and playing in the snow. Others were inside enjoying the snow with a cup of cocoa, playing board games or putting a puzzle together.
We were happy to beat the summer rush of visitors by arriving a few weeks early in the season. Being early has its perks although you miss the wild flowers blooming in July and all the roads open to the higher elevations. It worked out well for us though as we were able to chase waterfalls! The highlights of our visit were the beautiful waterfalls. We were a bit disappointed at Glacier National Park last year because we arrived too late to see most of the waterfalls in action. Not the case here at Mount Rainier.
We even caught a rainbow at Narada Falls!
We always try to visit more than once while in the area of a National Park because we always see something awesome the second or third time around! Additional visits also allow us to take in all the beauty and history the National Parks have to offer.
Christine Falls
Steven Creek Falls
Fun Facts About Mount Rainier
- Mount Rainier is a relatively young volcano, estimated to be about 500,000 years old.
- Mount Rainier is an active volcano. It has not erupted since 1894, but it will someday.
- 35 square miles of permanent ice and snow cover Mount Rainier. On its slopes are the longest, thickest, and largest glaciers in the contiguous United States.
- Mount Rainier was made a national park on March 2, 1899 which made it the fifth national park.
- Mount Rainier National Park is home to approximately 54 species of mammals, 126 species of birds, and 17 species of amphibians and reptiles. – Source National Parked
Considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world Mount Rainier can even be seen from the waterfront in Seattle, looking toward the East. We have yet to see all the grand beauty Mount Rainier has to offer!
Photo Gallery for Mount Rainier
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