Mount Rainier makes me happy. I love it when it is a day the mountain is out. It makes me feel like I’m home in a way nothing else does. Because of this, it is no surprise that I have visited Mt. Rainier National Park more times than any other national park.
Short Geologic History
Mount Rainier, with an elevation of 14,410 feet, is located within Mt. Rainier National Park in Washington state. It is one of five volcanoes in the Cascade Mountains in Washington: Mt. Rainier, Mt. Baker, Glacier Peak, Mt. Adams, and the infamous Mt. St. Helens. Mount Rainier is considered an active volcano with its most recent lava flow eruption thought be 2,200 years ago and its most recent pyroclastic flow eruption thought be 1,100 years ago. In addition to volcanic eruptions, residents of western Washington also prepare themselves for the possibility of lahars. Lahars are mudflows that can be sparked from the rapid melting of glaciers due to heat from the volcano. These mudflows have the potential to travel rapidly down the mountain through rivers to the Puget Sound leaving little warning for residents in their path.
Short Human History
Mount Rainier has a long history with humans going back for millennia. Early humans used the lands for hunting, fishing, gathering. The land encompassing Mt. Rainier National Park is the ancestral lands of the Cowlitz, Muckleshoot, Nisqually, Puyallup, Squaxin Island, Yakama, and Coast Salish people with each calling the mountain by its own name. However, three treaties signed in 1854 and 1855 ceded the land over to the United States with provisions to allow continued hunting and gathering. The name Rainier comes from a friend of Captain George Vancouver, Rear Admiral Peter Rainier, who never even saw the mountain which bears his name. After some lobbying by scientists, mountaineers, conservation groups, local businesses, and large railroad companies, Mt. Rainier National Park became established in 1899 as the fifth national park.
My History – The Short Version
Due to the mountain’s high visibility, Mt. Rainier always had a presence in my childhood. On a clear day I usually didn’t have to go far to get a glimpse of it. My earliest memory of visiting the park, was when we took my cousins up there. I remember that all the snow still had not melted yet. We all took off our shoes to stand barefoot in the snow. Naturally, during the course of relationship with my now ex husband, I had to take him up there as well. As Ladybug and Bumblebee get older, I’ve been sharing this beautiful park with them more.
Longmire
One of our adventures to the park took us to Longmire. In 1883, James Longmire discovered a mineral spring and built a hotel and spa. Today, a trail takes hikers past the remnants of this hotel and spa. The trail itself is relatively flat and easy. I think this was one of the few trails that didn’t illicit complaints from Ladybug. Despite the smoke from nearby wildfires on the day we visited, the views were still pretty incredible.
Paradise and the Nisqually Vista Trail
Another of our adventures took us up to Paradise and the Nisqually Vista Trail. Despite attempting to get an early start, we still had trouble finding parking. The park and Paradise have become so popular that waits to get into the park are super long and places like Paradise are so packed there isn’t parking. We did manage to find a place to park but it did require a hike just to get to the trailhead. Overall, this was a beautiful hike that I would recommend to everyone. We had beautiful views of the mountain. There were lots of beautiful wildflowers. There is also an overlook of the Nisqually Glacier. I was sad that the glacier had receded over the years, though.
The Old Mine Trail
Bumblebee and I are currently trying to conquer the Old Mine Trail in the Carbon River part of the park. In 2006, the Carbon River Road washed out in a flood. As a result, the trailhead to the Old Mine Trail requires a hike along the old road. It is an easy, flat hike along the road. However, the trail to the mine is short but steep. Our hiking companion that day had not been prepared for it, so we were unable to continue without leaving them behind alone. I love listening to True Crime, and it seems a lot of missing hiker stories always start with someone being left behind and never seen again. With this in mind, we turned back with the hope to try again.
Conclusion
Due to its popularity, National Park Service staff will be using a reservation system for park entry this year. I know with our busy schedule the timed entry will make it harder for us to visit the more popular parts of the park. However, maybe we’ll find other gems. If you know of any hidden gems off the beaten path, leave me a comment.
Further Reading:
Check out the Geology and History Summary for Mount Rainier by the USGS here, for more information about the geological history of Mt. Rainier.
To read more about lahars and volcanoes, check out Volcanoes and Lahars by the Washington Department of Natural Resources here.
Information on the history of humans in Mt. Rainier National Park can be found in Mount Rainier History by the National Park Service here.
