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Mount Rainier National Park
History of the Park

In 1792, British explorer Captain George Vancouver named the mountain for his friend Rear Admiral Peter Rainier (who never visited his namesake peak.)

The volcano's proximity to urban centers such as Tacoma, Olympia and Seattle, means Mount Rainier has long made an impression on the local population.  (It is still an awesome sight today, putting the skyscrapers into perspective!)  The first recorded summating of the mountain took place on August 17, 1870 by Philemon Beecher Van Trump and Hazard Stevens.  Only the good fortune of finding a warm volcanic steam cave kept the two men from freezing to death during an unplanned overnight stay on the summit.  This was at a time when Seattle had a population of little more than 1,000, yet this climb and others made the news.

View of the summit from within the Yakima Park
area, just above the Sunrise Day Lodge & Visitor Center

In the days of travel by horseback, tourists could get to the mountain in 2-3 days.  In the 1850s, James Longmire, a farmer settled near Yelm Prairie, established the Packwood Trail.  He guided many aspiring mountain climbers on this route from the Pacific coast to Mount Rainier's slopes.   Increasing visitation led to a campaign to protect the area as a national park.

In 1899, Mount Rainier was the fifth area in the United States to be designated a National Park.  In 1911 the first car reached the area.  As roads and railways began pushing into the wilderness, and the population grew, so did the number of visitors to the National Park.  Annual visitation was already exceeding one million in the 1950s, and continues to exceed two million today.  Of these, thousands complete the two-day trip to the summit.  Some have explored the melted tunnels in the ice-cap.  In 1962 Rainier was used as the training ground for the successful American expedition to Mount Everest.

Click on Mount Rainier National Park Map to locate park features such as campgrounds, roads and visitor centers.

Go Northwest! Bookstore 
Best selection of books on the Northwest.
Click here!

Climbing Mount Rainier: The Essential Guide by Fred Beckey, Alex Van Steen
May 1999, Paperback, 1st edition, 160 pages, (guidebook).  Written for experienced mountain climbers, this book offers detailed information on nearly fifty routes to the summit of Washington state's Mount Rainier.  Includes 75 photos showing climbers progressing toward the summit. Order now...

Challenge of Rainier: A Record of the Explorations and Ascents, Triumphs and Tragedies by Dee Molenaar
June 1979, Paperback, 3rd edition, 364 pages, (non-fiction) A classic text on Rainier that documents pioneering and more recent explorers of trails to the summit, its geology and natural environment, and its inevitable human disasters. Fascinating and instructive stories such as the one about the guy who slid a thousand feet in his down booties trying to catch a lid that fell off of his cooking pot. Order now...

Mt. Rainier Climbing Guide SM10097 The Ingraham Glacier-Disappointment Cleaver Route, plus two variations: The Fuhrer Finger Route, The Kautz Glacier Route Order now...

Mt. Rainier Climbing Guide SM20100 
The Emmons-Winthrop Glacier Route, The Liberty Ridge Route by Stanley Friedman These comprehensive, lightweight (weighs less than one ounce) climbing guides are designed to be carried with you on your summit attempts. Each route is clearly shown with 40-foot contours (1:24,000 scale) on a single waterproof and nearly-indestructible sheet that you can fold down and carry in your pocket. Order now...

The Measure of a Mountain: Beauty and Terror on Mount Rainier by Bruce Barcott
October 1998, Paperback or Hardcover, 278 pages, (autobiography)
By turns witty and introspective, Barcott's trip to the top of the glacier-clad peak is filled with history, scientific observation.  "Enjoyable, interesting, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, sometimes reflective, but always engaging", Barcott's imparts to the reader the important connection between Puget Sound residents and the mountain. Order now...

Mountain Fever: Historic Conquests of Rainier (Columbia Classics) by Aubrey L. Haines, Ruth Kirk. October 1999, Paperback, 278 pages. Order now...

The Big Fact Book About Mount Rainier
by Bette E. Filley, Rachel French (Illustrator)
April 1996, Paperback or Hardcover, (non-fiction)
Well-researched, must-have reference for anyone who loves The Mountain. Order now...

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