Mount Rainier National Park is located in western Washington state about 90 miles southeast of Seattle. The big attraction in the park is of course, Mount Rainier. It is still considered an active volcano even though it is encased in 35 square miles of snow and ice.
Mount Rainier National Park get around 2 million people each year. More than 95 percent of the park area is wilderness and only 3 percent of the entire area of Mt Ranier gets visited
At more than 14,400 feet, Mount Rainier is the tallest peak in the Cascade Mountains Range. It completely fills the landscape of a large part of the western part of Washington State.
The mountain is so large and noticable because it is 3 miles higher that the surrounding landscape and 1.5 times higher than the surrounding mountains. Mount Ranier is also considered an active volcano and erupted some 150 years ago. Is is due for another eruption? Who knows.
The National Park is open all year, but most roads are very limited access in winter time.
The area known as Paradise inside the park is one of the snowiest places on earth and is certainly worthy of a winter visit. From November to late May expect to find 10 to 20 feet of snow on the ground. The last time we visited in 1993 we encountered 12 feet of snow at the end of May.
Approximately 630 inches of snow falls in Paradise for an average winter. Amazingly, during the winter season of of 1971-72, Paradise set a world's record with 1122 inches of snowfall That's more than 93 feet of snow in one season!
Mount Rainier National Park is really an incredible place and you can enjoy winter like conditions at higher elevations well into June. The scenery is impeccable, the wildlife is diverse, the plant life is gorgeous and the history is captivating.
Plan your Mount Rainier vacation escape today. Here are some maps of the park and surrounding areas to help you get better acquainted with Mt Rainier.