This 14,410 foot active volcano is successfully climbed each year by thousands of people. Mount Rainier also offers an exciting challenge to the mountaineer. Passing swift rivers, the trail leads to commanding views of Mount Rainier cloaked in icy glaciers. The trail passes through major life-zones of the park, from lowland forests to subalpine meadows of wildflowers. Hikers find the Wonderland Trail to be one of the best ways to explore Mount Rainier National Park. The wilderness offers over 250 miles of trails, including the historic 93-mile Wonderland Trail that encircles the mountain. The Mount Rainier Wilderness contains 26 named glaciers across 9 major watersheds, with 382 lakes and 470 rivers and streams.Īlmost all of Mount Rainier National Park is wilderness. Species known or thought to occur in the park include more than 800 vascular plants, 159 birds, 63 mammals, 16 amphibians, 5 reptiles, and 18 native fishes. Vegetation is diverse, reflecting the varied climatic and environmental conditions encountered across the area's 12,800-feet elevation gradient. Mount Rainier Wilderness is part of a complex ecosystem. The distinguishing aspects of this Wilderness only begin with the mountain. Mount Rainier is an active volcano that last erupted approximately 150 years ago. Twenty-six named glaciers spill down the slopes, covering approximately 37 square miles, making it the most heavily glaciated peak in the contiguous United States. The mountain stands nearly three miles higher than the lowlands to the west and one and one-half miles higher than the adjacent mountains. It dominates the landscape of a large part of western Washington State. At 14,410 feet, Mount Rainier is the most prominent peak in the Cascade Range.

Mount Rainier Wilderness is located on the west-side of the Cascade Range, approximately 50 miles southeast of the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area.

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