MowryJournal.com   Life's Passions

Where Is It: 90 miles south of Seattle.

The Birth: From Wikipedia:

On March 2, 1899, President William McKinley signed a bill passed by Congress authorizing the creation of Mount Rainier National Park, the nation’s fifth national park. It was the first national park created from a national forest. The Pacific Forest Reserve had been created in 1893 and included Mount Rainier. It was enlarged in 1897 and renamed Mount Rainier Forest Reserve. John Muir had visited Mount Rainier in 1888. Muir and nine others … climbed to the summit in what became the fifth recorded ascent. The trip to Mount Rainier had played a role in reinvigorating Muir and convincing him to rededicate his life to the preservation of nature as national parks. At the time national forests, called forest reserves at first, were being created throughout the American West, under the utilitarian “conservation-through-use” view of Gifford Pinchot. Muir was what came to be known as a “preservationist”. He wanted nature preserved under the more protected status of national parks. But during the 1890s there was more public support for creating national forests than national parks. During that decade, Muir and his supporters were only able to protect one national forest as a national park. When the Pacific Forest Reserve was created in 1893, Muir quickly persuaded the newly formed Sierra Club to support a movement to protect Rainier as a national park. Other groups soon joined, such as the National Geographic Society and scientific associations wanting Mount Rainier preserved as a place to study volcanism and glaciology. Commercial leaders in Tacoma and Seattle were also in support, as was the Northern Pacific Railway. The effort lasted over five years and involved six different attempts to push a bill through Congress. Congress eventually agreed, but only after acquiring assurances that none of the new park was suitable for farming or mining and that no federal appropriations would be necessary for its management.

It Happened Here: Read the story of the disappearing airplane, here.

Size: 236,381 acres

# Visitors: 1,145,552 in 2013. Attendance peaked in July/August, and was at its lowest in February.

Plants: From the Park’s website:

Though the park is world-renowned for its elaborate wildflower displays, the vegetation of Mount Rainier National Park is remarkably diverse. Climate and elevation vary greatly in the park, creating a wide range of habitats supporting an extensive number of plant species. There are over 890 vascular species and more than 260 non-vascular plant species and fungi in the park. There are more than 100 exotic plant species, especially along transportation corridors, near trails, and in riparian areas.

Animals: From the Park’s website:

The highly visible Columbian black-tailed deer, Douglas squirrels, noisy Stellar’s jays and common ravens are animals that many people remember. The most diverse and abundant animals in the park, however, are the invertebrates – the insects, worms, crustaceans, spiders- to name a few – that occupy all environments to the top of Columbia Crest itself.

At Mount Rainier you can find 65 mammal species, 14 species of amphibians, 5 species of reptiles, 182 species of birds, and 14 species of native fish. Invertebrates probably represent 85% of the animal biomass in the park.

Fees: $15 for a 7-day vehicle permit.

Staying There: Mount Rainier National Park has six developed campgrounds with almost 600 sites. Campgrounds open June through mid September. Only one campground, Sunshine Point, is open for auto camping all year round.

Contact Info:

Ascending to 14,410 feet above sea level, Mount Rainier stands as an icon in the Washington landscape. An active volcano, Mount Rainier is the most glaciated peak in the contiguous U.S.A., spawning six major rivers. Subalpine wildflower meadows ring the icy volcano while ancient forest cloaks Mount Rainier’s lower slopes. Wildlife abounds in the park’s ecosystems. A lifetime of discovery awaits.

Photo by Dave Turner. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 3/24/14.

The Tatoosh Range, half the size of Rainier and a dozen times older, can also make for breathtaking photography. This image of Eagle Peak in the snow, beautifully framed and photographed by Jill Foster on March 4, 2012. Posted by the US Department of the Interioir, 3/31/14.

Photographed by Justin Kern September 10, 2012 and shared in Mount Rainier Flickr photo group http://flickr.com/groups/MountRainierNPS.

Reflections make for some of the most stunning images of Mount Rainier. Photo: JD Hascup. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 10/19/13.

Cascade Fox. Tweeted by the US Department of the Interior, 12/17/13.

From the Park’s website.

From the Park’s website.

From the Park’s website.

From the Park’s website.

From the Park’s website.

From the Park’s website.

From the Park’s website.

From the Park’s website.

The deceptively simple Candystick (Allotropa virgata) featured here depend on a complicated three-way relationship with fungus and coniferous fir trees to survive (they are mycotrophic). Instead of obtaining energy through photosynthesis, candystick draw energy from fungus associated with its roots. The fungus in turn derives energy from the roots of fir trees. With no need for the sun, candystick can be found in shady, deep woods. Photo taken July 17, 2012 along Sliver Falls Loop Trail. Photo: NPS, Bev Killam. From the Park’s website.

While Mount Rainier’s subalpine meadows slowly emerge from winter snowpack, wildflowers already bloom in lower elevation areas. These Lupine flourish among the rocks near the Nisqually River, with the Longmire Bridge in the background. From the Park’s website.

Fall is in the air but many areas of the park are still carpeted in wildflowers, like this patch of meadow along the Naches Peak Loop Trail. Look for patches of broadleaf lupine like this one blooming in areas where snow may have been late melting out. Photo taken September 6, 2012. Photo: NPS, Bev Killam. From the Park’s website.

More

National Park Service: Mount Rainier National Park

Purple Mountains Majesty

YouTube: Mount Rainier National Park

USAToday.com: Mount Rainier National Park

Terra Galleria: Mount Rainier National Park