Mount Rainier, << ruh NIHR or RAY neer, >> in Mount Rainier National Park, near Seattle, is the highest mountain in the state of Washington. The peak is 14,410 feet (4,392 meters) above sea level. Gassy fumes still rise from Mount Rainier’s great volcanic cone, but its deeply cut slopes show that the volcano was largely formed long ago. Roads lead through fine forests of cedar and fir to Rainier. Mountain torrents, patches of red heather, and white avalanche lilies line these scenic routes.
Explorer George Vancouver saw the mountain peak from his ship in 1792. He named it for his friend and fellow British naval officer Peter Rainier. Hazard Stevens and P. B. Van Trump became the first people to climb to the mountain’s top. They climbed it by way of the Gibraltar Route in 1870. The climb to the top is a test of endurance. Even shorter climbs are challenging because of the mountain’s deep crevasses, ice caves, and steep cliffs.
Paradise Valley perches at 5,400 feet (1,650 meters) on the slope near the timber line on Mount Rainier. Paradise Valley lies between the Nisqually and Paradise glaciers. Twenty-five glaciers feed the swift streams and tumbling waterfalls that roar through the glacial valleys. Wildflowers of many colors border the glaciers. The Nisqually and the Cowlitz glaciers are the most often explored of the ice regions in the park. The 90-mile (140-kilometer) Wonderland Trail encircles the mountain.
