Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier rises to 4,392 m in Washington. Columbia Crest stands 4,392 m to the west-northwest, 0.1 miles off. JCT MT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK TO JCT SR 162 VIC SOUTH PRAIRIE passes 9.1 miles off.
The story
Mount Rainier ( ray-NEER), also known as Tahoma ( tə-HOH-mə), is a large, active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest in the United States. The mountain is located in Mount Rainier National Park about 59 miles (95 km) south-southeast of Seattle. At 14,406 ft (4,391 m) it is the highest mountain in the U.S. state of Washington, the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States, and the tallest in the Cascade Volcanic Arc. Due to its high probability of an eruption in the near future and proximity to a major urban area, Mount Rainier is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world, and it is on the Decade Volcano list. The large amount of glacial ice means that Mount Rainier could produce massive lahars that could threaten the entire Puyallup River valley and other river valleys draining Mount Rainier, including the Carbon, White, Nisqually, and Cowlitz (above Riffe Lake). According to the United States Geological Survey's 2008 report, "about 80,000 people and their homes are at risk in Mount Rainier's lahar-hazard zones." Between 1950 and 2022, 471,792 people attempted to climb Mount Rainier according to NPS statistics. Approximately 84 people died in mountaineering accidents on Mount Rainier from 1947 to 2018.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q194057, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Built
- about 500,000 BC
- Elevation
- 4392 m
How to reach it
- 9.1 mi off the JCT MT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK TO JCT SR 162 VIC SOUTH PRAIRIE
- 9.9 mi off the JCT SR 12 OHANAPECOSH JCT VIC WHITE PASS TO JCT SR 410 VIC CHINOOK PASS
- 9.9 mi off the JCT SR 12 VIC MORTON TO JCT SR 410 VIC CHINOOK PASS
- 10.3 mi off the Chinook Scenic Byway, National
Overlooks nearby
- Silver Falls Overlook · 12 mi
- Sourdough Gap · 13 mi
- Palisades Viewpoint · 15 mi
- South Snoquera Point · 16 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Columbia Crest: 0.1 mi
- Point Success: 0.6 mi
- Gibraltar Rock: 0.7 mi
- Liberty Cap: 1.1 mi
- Tahoma Cleaver: 1.4 mi
- Wilson Glacier Falls: 2.8 mi
- West Van Trump Park Falls: 2.8 mi
- East Van Trump Park Falls: 3.1 mi
- Kautz Creek Falls: 3.1 mi
- Nisqually Valley Falls: 3.6 mi
- Nisqually Ice Cliff: 0.7 mi
- Russell Cliff: 0.9 mi
- Nisqually Cleaver: 0.9 mi
- Wilson Headwall: 1.0 mi
- Kautz Ice Cliff: 1.1 mi
- Packwood Cowlitz River Public Access Point: 17.0 mi
- 8th Avenue Park: 21.0 mi
- Coke Oven Handcar Park: 21.8 mi
- Mud Mountain Dam Recreation Area: 21.9 mi
- Mineral Lake Access Area: 22.1 mi
- Stevens-Van Trump Historical Monument: 4.5 mi
- Marine Memorial Airplane Crash Monument: 7.5 mi
- Cross-section of 1293 Douglas Fir: 7.5 mi
- Stephen Tyng Mather Memorial: 11.3 mi
- Old Mineshaft: 21.3 mi
- Paradise Picnic Area: 4.8 mi
- Sunrise Picnic Area: 6.9 mi
- Corral Pass Picnic Area: 17.7 mi
- Valley View Day Use Area: 18.4 mi
- High Point Day Use Area: 19.7 mi
- The Trident: 4.0 mi
- Coffee Cup: 4.2 mi
- Big Cedar: 11.5 mi
- Mount Rainier Railroad: 21.5 mi
- Caboose: 22.0 mi
- Longmire Museum: 7.5 mi
- Transportation Exhibit: 7.6 mi
- Historic Packwood Station: 17.2 mi
- White Pass Country Historical Museum: 17.5 mi
- Mount Rainier Railroad and Logging Museum: 21.2 mi
- Iron Mike Springs: 7.4 mi
- Bum Springs: 12.7 mi
- Log Spring: 15.5 mi
- Soda Springs: 16.5 mi
- Wheel: 19.1 mi
- Recycled Spirit of Iron: 19.1 mi
- The Wilkeson Way to Carbon Glacier: 22.2 mi
- Bacon and Eggs: 22.4 mi
- Bevin Lake Rest Area: 20.7 mi
- Elbe Rest Area: 21.5 mi
- Ohanapecosh Hot Springs: 12.2 mi
- Jean Caithness Greenlees Grove: 21.0 mi
- Waterfront: 21.6 mi
- Northwest Trek Wildlife Park: 24.8 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 6.7 miles of Mount Rainier. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Crest | WNW 289° | 4,392 m | 0.1 mi |
| Point Success | SW 226° | 4,302 m | 0.6 mi |
| Liberty Cap | NW 312° | 4,297 m | 1.1 mi |
| Gibraltar Rock | SE 128° | 3,863 m | 0.7 mi |
| Tahoma Cleaver | WSW 243° | 3,533 m | 1.4 mi |
| Saint Andrews Rock | W 273° | 3,520 m | 1.5 mi |
| Little Tahoma | E 95° | 3,395 m | 2.2 mi |
| Steamboat Prow | NE 42° | 2,940 m | 1.8 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:11 | 18:40 | 19:20 |
| June solstice | 05:13 | 20:18 | 21:06 |
| September equinox | 06:55 | 18:26 | 19:06 |
| December solstice | 07:50 | 15:30 | 16:22 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Jul–Aug.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 29 | 28 | 30 | 33 | 41 | 45 | 53 | 54 | 49 | 40 | 32 | 27 |
| Precip in | 17.2 | 12.9 | 13.2 | 8.3 | 5.1 | 3.8 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 4.4 | 11.3 | 18.2 | 18.9 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Rainier Paradise RS, 5 mi away.
Inside the official boundary of Mount Rainier National Park. Quietest months by visitation: Feb and Dec; busiest: Jul.
NPS visitation statistics, monthly averages 2021–2025 (2020 excluded).
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/1744903493
Day trips start here
- Mount Rainier National Park · 3 mi
- Eatonville · 24 mi
Take the scenic way to Mount Rainier.
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