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Pacific
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VISITOR INFORMATION
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of Park
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Rainier the Mountain
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Rainier NP
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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.
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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!
 Mountain
Fever: Historic Conquests of
Rainier (Columbia Classics) by Aubrey L. Haines, Ruth Kirk
October 1999,
Paperback, 278 pages, (non-fiction)
Order
now...
Washington's
Mount Rainier National Park: A Centennial Celebration
by Tim McNulty, Pat O'Hara
March 2000, Mountaineers Books, Paperback
or Hardcover,
144 pages, (non-fiction)
In this, the official book of the
centennial, Pat O'Hara and Tim McNulty view the mountain through all its
facets: from the geologic and climatic forces that continue to shape it,
to the rich legacy of humans' relationship with it, to its delicate
ecosystems and what will be needed to protect them for the future.
Order
now...
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...
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...
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