Mount Rainier National Park
| Mount Rainier | |
 | |
| Designation | National park |
| Location | Washington USA |
| Nearest major City | Tacoma, Washington |
| Latitude | 47° 50' N |
| Longitude | 121° 45' W |
| Area | 235,625 acres 95,354 ha |
| Date of Establishment | March 2, 1899 |
| Visitation | 1,312,415 (2003) |
| Governing Body | National Park Service |
| IUCN category | Ib (Wilderness) II (National Park) |
Mount Rainier National Park is a United States National Park located in southeast Pierce County, Washington. It was established on March 2, 1899, the fifth national park in the United States. The park contains 368 square miles (953.5 km²) including all of Mount Rainier, a 14410-foot (4392 m) volcano. The mountain rises abruptly from the surrounding land with elevations in the park ranging from 1600 feet (488 m) to over 14000 feet. 95 percent of the park is preserved as wilderness, a designation it received in 1988.
Mount Rainier is circled by the Wonderland Trail and is covered by several glaciers and snowfields totaling some 35 square miles (91 km²). Carbon Glacier is the largest glacier by volume in the lower 48 states. About 1.3 million people visit Mount Rainier National Park each year. Mount Rainier is a popular peak for mountain climbing with some 10,000 attempts per year.
Paradise Visitor Center recorded a world record 1122 inches (2850 cm) of snowfall in 1972.
The park was designated a National Historic Landmark on February 18, 1997.
External links
- Official site: Mount Rainier National Park (http://www.nps.gov/mora/)
- Photographic virtual tour of Mount Rainier National Park. (http://www.Untraveledroad.com/USA/Parks/Rainier.htm)
de:Mount-Rainier-Nationalpark