This is the eleventh in a series of articles that offer suggestions for your 1999 camping/ vacation destinations. The articles share our personal experiences at these great places and provide links to more explicit information on attractions, parks and campgrounds.
Wet, wild and wonderfully green, Mount Rainier National Park possesses an environment that supports four different life zones. This spectacular dormant volcano rises 14,411 feet and is said to actually create its own weather! At its majestic summit, 34 square miles of glaciers spread like spokes-reaching toward the valleys below. Black bears and cougars roam her hemlock and Alaska Yellow Cedar forests. Old-growth Douglas fir, 500 to 1,000 years old, grace her lowland mountain sides. From temperate rainforest at Carbon River, to her swift clear rivers at Ohanapecosh, Mount Rainier National Park is nature's splendor, a park beyond compare.
About the Park
Though surrounded the Mount Baker-
Snoqualmie National Forest on the north, the William O. Douglas and Norse Peak Wilderness areas, part of the beautiful 2.2 million acre Wenatchee National Forest, on the east, and the Gifford Pinchot National Forest on the south and west, Mount Rainier is easily accessible. The 378 square mile park is located in southwestern Washington, about 80-90 driving miles southeast of Seattle. It is some 70 miles northwest of Yakima and about 135 miles north of Portland, Oregon. Three interconnected entrances serve the park plus the isolated the Carbon River and Mowich Lake entrances in the northwestern corner.
Highway 706 runs from the Nisqually Entrance, at Mount Rainier's southwestern corner, through the Longmire and Paradise sections and joins Highway 123 east of the Stevens Canyon Entrance. Highway 123 enters the park at its southeastern corner, passes through the Ohanapecosh section and joins Highway 410 west of the Chinook Pass (the park's eastern access point). Highway 410 also enters the park at its northeastern corner. The White River Entrance road leads from Highway 410 to the Sunrise section of Mount Rainier. These Park Highways are narrow and mountainous, but are well-maintained and excellent roadways.
There are five developed sections or areas within the park: Longmire, Paradise, Ohanapecosh, Sunrise and Carbon River. Each has its own distinctive beauty, a visitors center, camping, wildlife and many other facilities. Other than these developed sections, Mount Rainier National Park is an awesome open wilderness. There are 25 named glaciers and 50 smaller ones, numerous waterfalls, rivers, snowfields and dazzling fields of wildflowers (July and August). The park is open year round. With most park roads closed between October and May, due to winter snows, and crowds of tourists during summer months, late spring and early fall are the best times to enjoy Mount Rainier. It is celebrating its 100th year birthday in 1999 and many park activities have been planned.
The copyright of the article Camping '99 Destination Series: Mount Rainier National Park in Camping is owned by . Permission to republish Camping '99 Destination Series: Mount Rainier National Park in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
Thanks for the post and sharing your personal experiences at Mount Rainier. It is a fantastic park to be sure. We took that Silver Falls hike and loved it! There is so much to see and enjoy ...
-- posted by Tom_Stephens
1.
Aug 9, 1999 1:49 PM
Hi there Tom! What a great article about MY state's great Mt. Rainier camping and sightseeing. You know, my husband and I have camped at nearly every place you've mentioned. We particularly LOVE Ohan ...
-- posted by Naomi_Mathews
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