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Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier as viewed from the northeast.
Elevation	14,411 ft (4,392 m)
Location	Washington State, USA
Range	Cascade Range
Prominence	13,210 ft (4,026 m) Ranked 21st
Coordinates	46°51′11.9″N 121°45′35.6″W / 46.853306, -121.759889Coordinates: 46°51′11.9″N 121°45′35.6″W / 46.853306, -121.759889
Topo map	USGS Mount Rainier West
Type	Stratovolcano
Volcanic arc/belt	Cascade Volcanic Arc
Age of rock	500,000 years
Last eruption	1854
First ascent	1870 by Hazard Stevens and P. B. Van Trump
Easiest route	rock/ice climb via Disappointment Cleaver

Mount Rainier is an active^[1] stratovolcano in Pierce County, Washington, located 54 miles (87 km) southeast of Seattle, Washington, in the United States. It is the highest peak in the Cascade Range and Cascade Volcanic Arc at 14,411 feet (4,392 m). The mountain and the surrounding area are protected within Mount Rainier National Park. With 26 major glaciers, Mount Rainier is the most heavily glaciated peak in the lower 48 states with 35 square miles (91 km²) of permanent snowfields and glaciers. The summit is topped by two volcanic craters, each over 1,000 feet (300 m) in diameter with the larger east crater overlapping the west crater. Geothermal heat from the volcano keeps areas of both crater rims free of snow and ice, and has formed an extensive network of glacier caves within the ice-filled craters. A small crater lake, the highest in North America, occupies the lowest portion of the west crater below more than 160 feet (50 m) of ice and is accessible only via the caves.

Location

Mount Rainier was originally known as Talol, or Tahoma, from the Lushootseed word təqʷúʔbəʔ ("mother of waters") spoken by the Puyallup. It has a topographic prominence of 13,210 feet (4,026 m), greater than that of K2. It is a prominent feature of the southern landscape in most of the Seattle metropolitan area. On clear days, it can also be seen from as far away as Portland, Oregon, and Victoria, British Columbia. Because of its scenic dominance, Seattle-Tacoma-area residents often refer to it simply as "the Mountain." ^[2]

The Carbon, Puyallup, Mowich, Nisqually, and Cowlitz Rivers begin at eponymous glaciers of Mount Rainier. The sources of the White River are Winthrop, Emmons, and Fryingpan Glaciers. The White, Carbon, and Mowich join the Puyallup River, which discharges into Commencement Bay at Tacoma; the Nisqually empties into Puget Sound east of Lacey; and the Cowlitz joins the Columbia River between Kelso and Longview.

Mount Rainier's earliest lavas are over 840,000 years old and are part of the Lily Formation (2.9 million to 840,000 years ago). The early lavas formed a "proto-Rainier" or an ancestral cone prior to the present-day cone. The present cone is over 500,000 years old.^[3] The volcano is highly eroded, with glaciers on its slopes, and appears to be made mostly of andesite. Rainier likely once stood even higher than today at about 16,000 feet (4,900 m) before a major debris avalanche and the resulting Osceola Mudflow 5,000 years ago.

Hazard map

One of many emergency evacuation route signs in case of volcanic eruption or lahar around Mt. Rainier.

In the past, Rainier has had large debris avalanches, and has also produced enormous lahars (volcanic mudflows) due to the large amount of glacial ice present. Its lahars have reached all the way to the Puget Sound. Around 5,000 years ago, a large chunk of the volcano slid away and that debris avalanche helped to produce the massive Osceola Mudflow, which went all the way to the site of present-day Tacoma and south Seattle.^[4] This massive avalanche of rock and ice took out the top 1,600 feet (500 m) of Rainier, bringing its height down to around 14,100 feet (4,300 m). About 530 to 550 years ago, the Electron Mudflow occurred, although this was not as large-scale as the Osceola Mudflow.

After the major collapse 5,000 years ago, subsequent eruptions of lava and tephra built up the modern summit cone until about as recently as 1,000 years ago. As many as 11 Holocene tephra layers have been found.

The most recent recorded volcanic eruption was between 1820 and 1854, but many eyewitnesses reported eruptive activity in 1858, 1870, 1879, 1882 and 1894 as well.^[5] As of 2007, there is no imminent risk of eruption, but geologists expect that the volcano will erupt again.

Lahars from Rainier pose the most risk to life and property, as many communities lie atop older lahar deposits. Not only is there much ice atop the volcano, the volcano is also slowly being weakened by hydrothermal activity. According to Geoff Clayton, a geologist with RH2, a repeat of the Osceola mudflow would destroy Enumclaw, Kent, Auburn, and most or all of Renton.^[4] Such a mudflow might also reach down the Duwamish estuary and destroy parts of downtown Seattle, and cause tsunamis in Puget Sound and Lake Washington. Rainier is also capable of producing pyroclastic flows as well as lava.

Northwest side of Mount Rainier seen from Tacoma. Liberty Cap is the visible summit from this view, sitting atop the Mowich Face.

Mount Rainier from space

The three summits of Mount Rainier: Liberty Cap, Columbia Crest, and Point Success

Mount Rainier was first known by the Native Americans as Talol, Tahoma, or Tacoma, from the Lushootseed word təqʷúʔbəʔ ("mother of waters") spoken by the Puyallup. At the time of European contact, the river valleys and other areas near the mountain were inhabited by many Pacific Northwest tribes who hunted and gathered berries in the forests and mountain meadows. These included the Nisqually, Cowlitz, Yakama, Puyallup, and Muckleshoot.

Captain George Vancouver reached Puget Sound in 1792 and became the first European to see the mountain. He named it in honour of his friend, Rear Admiral Peter Rainier.

In 1833, Dr. William Fraser Tolmie explored the area looking for medicinal plants. He was followed by other explorers seeking challenge. Hazard Stevens and P. B. Van Trump received a hero's welcome in the streets of Olympia after their successful summit climb in 1870. John Muir climbed Mount Rainier in 1888, and although he enjoyed the view, he conceded that it was best appreciated from below. Muir was one of many who advocated protecting the mountain. In 1893, the area was set aside as part of the Pacific Forest Reserve in order to protect its physical/economic resources: timber and watersheds.

Citing the need to also protect scenery and provide for public enjoyment, railroads and local businesses urged the creation of a national park in hopes of increased tourism. On March 2, 1899, President William McKinley established Mount Rainier National Park as America's fifth national park. Congress dedicated the new park "for the benefit and enjoyment of the people; and...for the preservation from injury or spoliation of all timber, mineral deposits, natural curiosities, or wonders within said park, and their retention in their natural condition."

In 1998, the United States Geological Survey began putting together the Mount Rainier Volcano Lahar Warning System to assist in the emergency evacuation of the Puyallup River valley in the event of a catastrophic debris flow. It is now run by the Pierce County Department of Emergency Management. Tacoma, at the mouth of the Puyallup, is only 37 miles (60 km) west of Rainier, and moderately sized towns such as Puyallup and Orting are only 27 miles (43 km) and 20 miles (32 km) away, respectively.

1907 Rainier Beer advertisement

Although "Rainier" had been considered the official name of the mountain, Theodore Winthrop, in his posthumously published 1862 travel book The Canoe and the Saddle, claimed the indigenous name of the mountain was "Tacoma" and afterwards, both names were used interchangeably, although "Mt. Tacoma" was preferred in the city of Tacoma.^[6]

In 1890, the United States Board on Geographic Names declared that the mountain would be known as "Rainier". Following this in 1897, the Pacific Forest Reserve became the Mount Rainier Forest Reserve, and the national park was established two years later. Despite this, there was still a movement to change the mountain's name to "Tacoma" and Congress was still considering a resolution to change the name as late as 1924.^[6]

After Rainier Brewing Company resumed producing "Rainier Beer" after the end of Prohibition and its advertisements became ubiquitous in the Seattle-Tacoma area, a rumor began circulating that the brewery's owner, Emil Sick, had bribed a Washington state committee with free beer to promote the name "Rainier". This, however, is an urban legend and can still be heard today among Tacoma residents who preferred the alternate name.^[6] Sick did, however, purchase the local baseball team and renamed them to be the Seattle Rainiers for this purpose.^[7]

The broad top of Mount Rainier contains three named summits. The highest is called Columbia Crest. The second highest summit is Point Success, 14,158 feet (4,315 m), at the southern edge of the summit plateau, atop the ridge known as Success Cleaver. It has a topographic prominence of about 138 feet (42 m), so it is not considered a separate peak. The lowest of the three summits is Liberty Cap, 14,112 feet (4,301 m), at the northwestern edge, which overlooks Liberty Ridge, the Sunset Amphitheater, and the dramatic Willis Wall. Liberty Cap has a prominence of 492 feet (150 m), and so would qualify as a separate peak under most strictly prominence-based rules. A prominence cutoff of 400 feet (122 m) is commonly used in Washington state.^[8] However it is not usually considered a separate peak, due to the massive size of Mount Rainier, relative to which a 492 foot (150 m) drop is not very large.

High on the eastern flank of Mount Rainier is a peak known as Little Tahoma, 11,138 feet (3,395 m), an eroded remnant of the earlier, much higher, Mount Rainier. It has a prominence of 858 feet (262 m), and it is almost never climbed in direct conjunction with Columbia Crest, so it is usually considered a separate peak.

The switchbacks of main climbing route avoid crevasses enroute to the Columbia Crest summit.

Mountain climbing on Mount Rainier is difficult; it includes climbing on the largest glaciers in the U.S. south of Alaska. Most climbers require two to three days to reach the summit. Climbing teams require experience in glacier travel, self-rescue, and wilderness travel. About 8,000 to 13,000 people attempt the climb each year,^[9] about 90% via routes from Camp Muir on the southeast flank.^[10] Most of the rest ascend Emmons Glacier via Camp Schurman on the northeast. About half of the attempts are successful, with weather and conditioning being the most common reasons for failure. About three mountaineering deaths each year occur due to rock and ice fall, avalanche, falls, and hypothermia associated with severe weather.

The north face of Mount Rainier (1932)

Hiking, photography, and camping are popular in the park. Hiking trails, including the Wonderland Trail, a 93 miles (150 km) circumnavigation of the peak provide access to the backcountry. Mount Rainier is also popular for winter sports, including snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. In summer, visitors pass through vast meadows of wildflowers, on trails emanating from historic Paradise Inn.

The Washington state quarter, which was released on April 11, 2007, features Mount Rainier and a salmon. ^[11][12]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Mount Rainier

• Mount Rainier National Park
• Mountain peaks of North America
• Mountain peaks of the United States
• Cascade Volcanoes
• Cascade Range

• Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program: Mount Rainier
• Mount Rainier National Park (also used as a reference)
• Mount Rainer on TierraWiki.org
• USGS: Mount Rainier -- Learning to Live with Volcanic Risk
• Mount Rainier Volcano Lahar Warning System
• Mount Rainier stream drainage
• Mount Rainier Trail Descriptions
• Mount Rainier on Peakbagger.com
• Mount Rainier on Bivouac.com
• Mount Rainier on SummitPost.org
• Photos of Mount Rainier National Park - Terra Galleria
• Time-lapse animation of Mt. Rainier Web Cam
• Virtual Tour of Mount Rainier in Washington
• Washington State Quarter
• University of Washington Libraries: Digital Collections:
• Lawrence Denny Lindsley Photographs Over 400 images representing the landscape and nature photography of Lawrence Denny Lindsley, including photographs of scenes around Mount Rainier and the Cascade Mountains, the Pacific Ocean beaches on the Olympic Peninsula, Eastern Washington and the Grand Coulee region.
• The Mountaineers Collection Photographic albums and text documenting the Mountaineers official annual outings undertaken by club members from 1907-1951, primarily on the Olympic Peninsula, in Mount Rainier National Park and on Glacier Peak. Includes 3 Mt. Rainier albums (ca. 1912, 1919, 1924).
• Henry M. Sarvant Photographs 212 photographs by Henry Mason Sarvant depicting his climbing expeditions to Mt. Rainier and scenes of the vicinity from 1892-1912.
• Alvin H. Waite Photographs Photographs of Mt. Rainier by Alvin H. Waite, one of Tacoma's most important landscape photographers during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

• Mount Rainier is at coordinates 46°51′12″N 121°45′36″W / 46.8533, -121.7599Coordinates: 46°51′12″N 121°45′36″W / 46.8533, -121.7599
  • Nearby hiking trails on Hikipedia

v • d • e Major Cascade Volcanoes
British Columbia	Mount Silverthrone · Plinth Peak · Mount Meager · Mount Cayley · Mount Garibaldi
Washington	Mount Baker · Glacier Peak · Mount Rainier · Mount St. Helens · Mount Adams
Oregon	Mount Hood · Mount Jefferson · Three Sisters · Broken Top · Mount Bachelor · Newberry Volcano · Mount Thielsen · Mount Mazama (Crater Lake) · Mount McLoughlin
California	Medicine Lake Volcano · Mount Shasta · Shastina · Mount Tehama · Lassen Peak
Eruptions	1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens · 2350 BP eruption of Mount Meager