Mount Rainier National Park

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 It has been suggested that Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)
Mount Rainier National Park
IUCN Category II (National Park)
Mount Rainier National Park
Location Pierce County and Lewis County, Washington, USA
Nearest city Tacoma
Coordinates 46°51′10″N 121°45′37″W / 46.85278, -121.76028
Area 235,625 acres (953.5 km²)
Established March 2, 1899
Visitors 1,113,601 (in 2006)
Governing body National Park Service

Mount Rainier National Park is a United States National Park located in southeast Pierce County and northeast Lewis County in Washington state.[1] It was established on March 2, 1899, the fifth national park in the United States. The park contains 368 square miles (953 km²) including all of Mount Rainier, a 14,411-foot (4,392 m) stratovolcano. The mountain rises abruptly from the surrounding land with elevations in the park ranging from 1,600 feet (490 m) to over 14,000 feet (4,300 m). The highest point in the Cascade Range, around it are valleys, waterfalls, subalpine wildflower meadows, old growth forest and more than 26 glaciers. The volcano is often shrouded in clouds that dump enormous amounts of rain and snow on the peak every year and hide it from the crowds that head to the park on weekends.

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 continental United States, while Emmons Glacier is the largest glacier by area. 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 with approximately 25% making it to the summit.

The park contains outstanding examples of old growth forests and subalpine meadows.

Contents

[edit] History

Ninety-seven percent of the park is preserved as wilderness under the National Wilderness Preservation System, including Clearwater Wilderness, a designation it received in 1988. It is abutted by the Tatoosh Wilderness. The park was designated a National Historic Landmark on February 18, 1997 as a showcase for the National Park Service Rustic style architecture (or parkitecture) of the 1920s and 1930s, exemplified by the Paradise Inn and a masterpiece of early NPS master planning. As an Historic Landmark district, the park was administratively listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

[edit] Native Americans

The earliest evidence of human activity in the area which is now Mount Rainier National Park is a projectile point dated to circa 4,000-5,800 BP (before present) found along Bench Lake Trail (the first section of Snow Lake Trail).[2][3]

A more substantial archeological find was a rock shelter near Fryingpan Creek, east of Goat Island Mountain. Hunting artifacts were found in the shelter. The shelter would not have been used all year round. Cultural affinities suggest the site was used by Columbia Plateau Tribes from 300 to 1,000 BP.[2][3]

In 1963 the National Park Service contracted the Washington State University to study Native American use of the Mount Rainier area. Richard D. Daugherty lead an archeological study of the area and concluded that prehistoric humans used the area most heavily between 4,500 and 8,000 BP. Allan H. Smith interviewed elderly Native Americans and studied ethnographic literature. He found no evidence of permanent habilitation in the park area. The park was used for hunting and gathering and for occasional spirit quests. Smith also came to tentative concussions that the park was divided among five tribes along watershed boundaries; the Nisqually, Puyallup, Muckleshoot, Yakama, and Taidnapam (Upper Cowlitz). Subsequent studies cast doubt on Smith theory that the tribes had agreed upon boundaries before they entered into treaties with the United States in 1854-55.[2]

[edit] Major attractions

Christine Falls, one of many waterfalls visible from a short walk from the main road.
Christine Falls, one of many waterfalls visible from a short walk from the main road.

[edit] Paradise

Main article: Paradise, Washington

Paradise (46.79° N 121.74° W[4])is the name of an area at approximately 5,400 feet (1,600 m) on the south slope of Mount Rainier in the national park. Paradise is the most popular destination for visitors to Mount Rainier National Park.[5] 62% of the over 1.3 million people who visited the park in 2000 went to Paradise.[6] Paradise is the location of the historic Paradise Inn (built 1916),[7] Paradise Guide House (built 1920) and Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center (built 1966).[8]

The National Park Service says that "Paradise is the snowiest place on Earth where snowfall is measured regularly."[9] 1,122 inches (93.5 ft, 28.5 m) of snow fell during the winter of 1971-1972, setting a world record for that year.[9][10] It also holds the Cascade Range record for most snow on the ground with 367 inches (932 cm) on March 10, 1956.[11]

[edit] Longmire

Main article: Longmire
National Park Service 1928 Administration Building at Longmire
National Park Service 1928 Administration Building at Longmire

Longmire (46.75° N 121.81° W) is a visitor center in Mount Rainier National Park, located 6.5 miles (10.5 km) east of the Nisqually Entrance. The area is in the Nisqually River valley at an elevation of 2,761 feet (842 m)[12] between The Ramparts Ridge and the Tatoosh Range. Longmire is surrounded by old-growth Douglas fir, western red cedar and western hemlock.

Longmire is the location of Mount Rainier's National Park Inn, the Longmire Museum, and the 1928 National Park Service Administration Building, which is now a Wilderness Information Center. The National Park Inn is the only accommodation in the park open all year round.[13]

Longmire is the second most popular destination for visitors to Mount Rainier National Park after Paradise. Of the more than 1.3 million people who visited the park in 2000, 38% visited Longmire.[6] The Cougar Rock Campgound is about 2 miles (3 km) north west of Longmire.[1] Longmire is one of the starting points of the Wonderland Trail.

[edit] Sunrise

Subalpine meadows at Sunrise
Subalpine meadows at Sunrise

Sunrise (46.91° N 121.64° W) is a lodge and visitor center located in the northeastern part of Mount Rainier National Park in Pierce County, Washington, United States. At an elevation of 6,400 feet (1,950 m), it is the highest point in the park that is accessible by vehicle. There are miles of trails located all around Sunrise, such as Mount Fremont and Sourdough Ridge. The lodge is reachable via a 10 mile (16 km) turnoff from SR 410 near the White River entrance.

[edit] Flooding in November 2006

Mount Rainier National Park closed due to extensive flooding as a result of the November 6, 2006 Pineapple Express rainstorm when 18 inches (460 mm) of rain fell in a 36 hour period. Campsites and roads throughout the park were washed away. Power to Paradise and Longmire was disrupted.[14] On May 5, 2007, the park reopened to automobile traffic via State Route 706 at the Nisqually Entrance.[15]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Stanley Maps. Mt. Rainier National Park [map], Centennial edition, 1 : 30,000. Cartography by Charles B. Kitterman / Kulshan Cartographic Services. (2000) ISBN 0-9662209-4-3.
  2. ^ a b c Part One: The Cultural Setting. I. Historical Overview Of Indians And Mount Rainier. Mount Rainier Administrative History. National Park Service (24 July 2000). Retrieved on 2007-06-05.
  3. ^ a b Burtchard, Greg C.; with contributions by Stephen C. Hamilton and Richard H. McClure, Jr. (originally published February 1998, last updated 17 November 2004.). [http://www.nps.gov/archive/mora/ncrd/archaeology/chap4b.htm Chapter 4: The 1995 Mount Rainier Archeological Reconnaissance]. Environment, Prehistory & Archaeology of Mount Rainier National Park, Washington. National Park Service, Seattle, Washington; International Archaeological Research Institute, Inc.. Retrieved on 2007-06-05.
  4. ^ United States Geological Survey. Mount Rainier East, Washington [map], 1 : 24,000, 7,5 Minute Series (Topographic). (1971) ISBN 060701198X. Coordinate measured using National Geographic TOPO! Software Version 3.4.3.
  5. ^ Pitcher, Don (June 12, 2002). Moon Handbooks Washington, 7th edition, Moon Handbooks, Avalon Travel Publishing, pp. 615-616. ISBN 1566913861. 
  6. ^ a b Mount Rainier National Park Visitor Study Brochure (PDF). Visitor Services Project. National Park Service (March 31, 2003). Retrieved on 2007-05-22.
  7. ^ Barnes, Christine; Pfulghoft, Fred (Photographer); Morris, David (Photographer) (April 2002). Great Lodges of the National Parks: The Companion Book to the PBS Television Series. W W West, pp. 48 – 57. ISBN 0-9653924-5-7. 
  8. ^ Mt. Rainier National Park Centennial Timeline 1960s. Mount Rainier National Park Centennial Celebration. National Park Service (1999). Retrieved on 2007-05-22. “1966: The Paradise Visitor Center (in 1987 dedicated as the Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center), is opened to the public in September.”
  9. ^ a b Mount Rainier National Park - Frequently Asked Questions (U.S. National Park Service). National Park Service (created August 4, 2005 modified January 19, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-05-22.
  10. ^ Annual Snowfall at Paradise 1920 to 2002 (PDF). National Park Service (January 12, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-05-22.
  11. ^ Andalkar, Amar (created December 2002, last updated April 2006). Skiing the Cascade Volcanoes. Amar Andalkar's Ski Mountaineering and Climbing Site. Retrieved on 2007-05-30.
  12. ^ Filley, Bette (2002). Discovering the Wonders of the Wonderland Trail: Encircling Mount Rainier (5th edition). Dunamis House, p. 37. ISBN 1-880405-09-1. 
  13. ^ Scott, Kay W.; Scott, David L. (February 2002). The Complete Guide to the National Park Lodges, 3rd. Globe Pequot, pp. 193 ¬ 194. ISBN 0-7627-1197-3. 
  14. ^ November 2006 Flooding. Mount Rainier National Park. Retrieved on 2007-05-30.
  15. ^ Carlton Harrell, Debera. "Battered Mt. Rainier to reopen", Seattle Post-Intelligencer, May 5, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-05-22. 

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