The Mount Rainier National Park is a national park of the United States located in the southeast of Pierce County and to the northwest of Lewis County in the Washington State. It was established on March 2, 1899 as the fifth national park in the United States.
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| Mount Rainier National Park |
The Mount Rainier is a large volcanic peak located 140 kms to the southeast of Seattle, Washington. It rises 4,392 meters. and surpasses the surrounding mountains by a minimum of 2,500 meters. During clear days it dominates the skyline of Seattle and all the surrounding communities. The peak and its upper slopes are perpetually covered with ice and snow, including 23 active glaciers.
Mount Rainier National Park covers 95,354 hectares of forests, plains and mountains. 97% of the park is designated for the preservation of the natural territory. All of Mount Rainier and many of the neighboring peaks and slopes are included in the park. From Seattle to Mount Rainier it is only three hours or less by car. The shortest route is 169 from Renton to Enumclaw. From there, a 40-mile drive is accompanied by beautiful mountain scenery until you reach the Sunrise Visitor Center, located high up on one of the eastern slopes of the mountain.
The drive from Seattle to Mount Rainier National Park has gorgeous scenery the entire ride and is an excellent excursion to do in one day. It is also a good destination to spend several days admiring the landscape, camping, hiking or climbing the mountains. Many of the higher routes and walking paths will be closed during the winter months due to heavy snow accumulation, but the route from the Nisqually entrance to Longmire and Paradise is generally open for activities such as snowshoe tours, skiing and winter camping.
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| Mount Rainier National Park |
The town of Enumclaw, north of the mountain, is a 45 minute drive from the Sunrise Visitor Center and 1 hour and a half from Paradise, has a good variety of hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, kiosks, etc. The town of Ashford is ideally located, a few miles from the Nisqually Entrance and 30 minutes from Paradise. It has approximately 10 hotels and inns, two service stations, a small general business, a small kiosk and half a dozen restaurants. It also offers a good variety of cabins and houses for rent.
The three main Visitor Centers are Longmire, the Jackson Visitor Center in Paradise, and Sunrise. The three establishments offer parking, information, restrooms, restaurants, picnic areas and paths for walking. Only the Jackson and Longmire Visitor Centers offer lodging.
There are six campsites in the park, all with water and sanitation services but very few additional services and they charge a small fee. The campgrounds in the middle of the forest are located at various sites in the park, especially on the longer walking tours, such as the Wonderland Trail that circles the mountain.