Contact Information
Tahoma Woods, Star Route
Ashford, WA 98304
360-569-2211
Washington State is crammed with vertical topography, but when locals mention The Mountain, there's no mistaking which peak they're referring to. At 14,411 feet, Mount Rainier is without peer in this part of the world. It towers 8,000 feet above surrounding Cascades peaks, and is such a behemoth that it creates its own weather.Every year some 2 million people wend up onto Rainier's flanks. Most drive up twisty mountain roads to gape at sublime natural scenes: the summit cone, stark against a cobalt-blue sky; subalpine meadows spangled with summer wildflowers; steep-walled valleys scored into the mountain's flanks by glaciers - 25 of which still tumble down the mountain. Many visitors explore no further, but those hungry for adventure and wild places will find them by stepping off into the park's vast backcountry. Even a short hike trades the crowds in for a wilderness of huge, ancient trees; alpine glades; icy-cold, tumbling streams; and ancient glaciers. And in winter, Rainier draws crowds nearly equivalent to those in summer - the cross-country skiing and snowshoeing around Longmire and Paradise are that good.
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