Mount Rainier National Park
Sights to See
"Of all the fire mountains which, like beacons, once blazed along the Pacific Coast, Mount Rainier is the noblest."
— John Muir
The following sights are a sampling of the best Mount Rainier National Park has to offer.
Longmire
Enjoy the scenic, forested drive from Nisqually Entrance to Longmire, the park's oldest developed area. Located in the southwestern corner of the park, Longmire is the site of mineral springs found by James Longmire in 1883. He later built the park's first hotel, Longmire's Springs, on this spot.
Paradise
When Martha Longmire first saw Paradise Valley, she exclaimed, "Oh, what a Paradise!" Once you see its lush meadows carpeted in wildflowers, you will agree. Paradise sits more than a mile above sea level and averages 680 inches of snowfall annually. In the winter of 1971—1972, a record 1,122 inches fell here!
In a land brimming with mountain streams and alpine lakes, Narada Falls stands out as spectacular. Along the road between Longmire and Paradise, the falls are formed where the Paradise River cascades 168 feet off a ledge. Take the short but steep trail to the bottom of the Falls for a breath- taking view.
Radiating out from the summit like the spokes of a wheel, the glaciers of Mount Rainier are its crowning glory. Nisqually Glacier is the most accessi-ble and the most studied of Mount Rainier's 26 major glaciers. Its terminus is only about a mile from the Glacier View overlook on the road that leads from Nisqually to Paradise. The Nisqually Icefall is a jumble of truck-sized ice blocks poised in a slow- motion tumble down the glacier, sometimes moving as much as three feet a day.
Ohanapecosh
The Grove of the Patriarchs Trail showcases the old-growth forest in the southeastern corner of the park. Here, western red cedar, Douglas fir and western hemlock, some more than 1,000 years old, tower over the forest floor and the Ohanapecosh River.
Sunrise
The highest point in the park accessible by car, Sunrise is 6,400 feet in elevation. Located in the northeastern area of the park, it offers stunning vistas of the dormant volcanoes of the Cascades and Mounts Rainier, Baker and Adams. Mount Rainier rises above the tranquil subalpine meadows of Sunrise with the rocky summit of Little Tahoma Peak visible to the left. (American Indian legend says Little Tahoma [Takhoma] is the son of Mount Rainier and sits on her shoulder.) From Sunrise, watch clouds move in from the Pacific, bump into and spill over the mountaintop and cascade down Mount Rainier's eastern slope. You can see Emmons Glacier, the largest glacier in the contiguous United States, on Mount Rainier's eastern flank. It covers more than four square miles. Located on Mount Rainier's dry, east side, Sunrise receives much less moisture than Paradise and the difference is reflected in each of their vegetation. Subalpine vegetation is easily damaged. Stay on trails to avoid damaging these fragile meadows.
Carbon River
Sequestered in the northwest corner of the park, Carbon River is named for the coal deposits discovered nearby. Deep in the Carbon River Valley is the sole temperate rain forest in the park, produced by the combination of the area's abundant rainfall and mild weather. Explore the Carbon River Rainforest at the Carbon River Entrance or take a scenic drive to Mowich Lake. The unpaved road to the lake is usually passable by late June.
Mt. Rainier In Depth
News from the Parks
Denali National Park Goes Greener With New Hybrid Commercial Bus From IC Bus
July 18, 2008 - 12:55pm
DENALI, Alaska, July 17, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ ----Visitors to Alaska's Denali National Park and Preserve, one of the largest protected intact ecosystems in the world, will now have the opportunity to explore the park with the aid of an environmentally friendly vehicle -- a fuel-efficient and emissions-reducing hybrid bus. IC Bus, North America's largest school bus and commercial bus manufacturer, is delivering the Park's first hybrid bus on July 17.
July 18, 2008 - 12:55pm
DENALI, Alaska, July 17, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ ----Visitors to Alaska's Denali National Park and Preserve, one of the largest protected intact ecosystems in the world, will now have the opportunity to explore the park with the aid of an environmentally friendly vehicle -- a fuel-efficient and emissions-reducing hybrid bus. IC Bus, North America's largest school bus and commercial bus manufacturer, is delivering the Park's first hybrid bus on July 17.
Canyoneering Heaven At Zion National Park
July 18, 2008 - 10:17am
Lee and Brian are loaded like sherpas, each hauling an end of the 700-foot-long rope and moving in lockstep as they hike down a dry creek bed through a ponderosa pine forest atop a mesa about 6,000 feet above sea level. Behind us, at the end of a wretched logging road that almost made a couple of people in our group sick, is Lee's truck, which we'll come back for the next day. Ahead of us is . . . one big drop. The creek bed ends at a sheer cliff that plunges into what looks like an enormous hole. Walking to the edge, I peer over and can't see the bottom. This is the start of Engelstead Canyon.
July 18, 2008 - 10:17am
Lee and Brian are loaded like sherpas, each hauling an end of the 700-foot-long rope and moving in lockstep as they hike down a dry creek bed through a ponderosa pine forest atop a mesa about 6,000 feet above sea level. Behind us, at the end of a wretched logging road that almost made a couple of people in our group sick, is Lee's truck, which we'll come back for the next day. Ahead of us is . . . one big drop. The creek bed ends at a sheer cliff that plunges into what looks like an enormous hole. Walking to the edge, I peer over and can't see the bottom. This is the start of Engelstead Canyon.
Shenandoah National Park Launches Multimedia Tour Inviting Visitors to Experience the Blue Ridge Mountains Like Never Before
July 18, 2008 - 9:30am
Austin, Texas - Greta Miller, Executive Director of the Shenandoah National Park Association announced today the launch of a new interpretive tool, the GPS Ranger™, for visitors at Shenandoah National Park. Visitors to the park can experience the Blue Ridge Mountains and learn more about the park’s unique history, land, plants, and animals with the assistance of the multimedia GPS Ranger™ tour guide system. Informative and educational ranger-narrated videos automatically play as guests hike.
July 18, 2008 - 9:30am
Austin, Texas - Greta Miller, Executive Director of the Shenandoah National Park Association announced today the launch of a new interpretive tool, the GPS Ranger™, for visitors at Shenandoah National Park. Visitors to the park can experience the Blue Ridge Mountains and learn more about the park’s unique history, land, plants, and animals with the assistance of the multimedia GPS Ranger™ tour guide system. Informative and educational ranger-narrated videos automatically play as guests hike.
Hiker tackles every mile of trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
July 18, 2008 - 9:28am
Sixty-three year old Diane Scarbrough loves to spend time in the Smoky Mountains. "Anybody that can be out there for any length of time," she says. "It's uplifting." Diane's passion for hiking turned into a mission to hike every mile of trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. "We call it the 900 mile club. Actually it comes out to be 845, but I think they round that off because it takes a long time to get to a trail. We may hike 4 miles to get to the trail we are hiking on," Diane explains.
July 18, 2008 - 9:28am
Sixty-three year old Diane Scarbrough loves to spend time in the Smoky Mountains. "Anybody that can be out there for any length of time," she says. "It's uplifting." Diane's passion for hiking turned into a mission to hike every mile of trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. "We call it the 900 mile club. Actually it comes out to be 845, but I think they round that off because it takes a long time to get to a trail. We may hike 4 miles to get to the trail we are hiking on," Diane explains.
Rabid bat in Olympic National Park puts visitor, three employees in treatment
July 18, 2008 - 9:25am
The Olympic National Park's first possible case of rabies since 1977 has struck a woman who was in the Ozette campground late last week. The 55-year-old woman is getting rabies prevention treatment after a bat scratched her in the Ozette campground. Three Olympic National Park employees who responded to the incident are also receiving treatment. The bat approached the woman at her campsite. She knocked the bat to the ground and got scratched. The stunned bat remained on the ground until the next morning. Park employees removed the bat for rabies testing. The rabies virus was found in the bat. The only other known case of rabies in Olympic National Park was recorded 33 years ago in July 1975, when a child was bitten by a bat in the Elwha Valley.
July 18, 2008 - 9:25am
The Olympic National Park's first possible case of rabies since 1977 has struck a woman who was in the Ozette campground late last week. The 55-year-old woman is getting rabies prevention treatment after a bat scratched her in the Ozette campground. Three Olympic National Park employees who responded to the incident are also receiving treatment. The bat approached the woman at her campsite. She knocked the bat to the ground and got scratched. The stunned bat remained on the ground until the next morning. Park employees removed the bat for rabies testing. The rabies virus was found in the bat. The only other known case of rabies in Olympic National Park was recorded 33 years ago in July 1975, when a child was bitten by a bat in the Elwha Valley.
