Mount Rainier’s Wildlife and Wildflowers
BearSight a black bear—no grizzlies—in the Mazama Ridge area east of Paradise in late summer; train binoculars to the open meadows. Harlequin DucksThey’re not as populous as the camp robber jays that...
View ArticleMount Rainier’s Red Fox Menace
Red foxes were once a prized sighting at Mount Rainier. I’d been going to the mountain for nearly a quarter century before I saw one. But this year I’ve seen three foxes in three trips. That’s not good...
View ArticleIn and Around the National Park
AshfordThe town is little more than a loose string of rental cabins, mountaineering shops, and restaurants, but it’s home base for much of the park’s outdoor activity.Westside RoadAnother washout...
View ArticleMount Rainier Will Erupt (But Not How You Think)
Mount Rainier is 100 square miles of active volcano. Armed with just a rock hammer and a handheld magnifying glass, geologist Tom Sisson set about reading its rocks like tea leaves. After a dozen...
View ArticleHow to Take the Ultimate Mount Rainier Photo
Image: Jeff MarshThe Early Bird Gets the Shot “It just becomes a big white mass” when you shoot Mount Rainier midday, says photographer Nathan Hardebeck, who manages a photo gallery Packwood, just off...
View ArticleOn Not Summiting the Mountain: A Climbing Guide’s Perspective
More than half of the climbers who try to summit Mount Rainier don’t make it. And as a guide on the state’s tallest mountain, I feel them fail.As I trudge slowly up the mountain in the predawn hours,...
View ArticleThe Sherpas of Ashford, Washington
Image: Amanda ParedesIn the bump-on-the-road town of Ashford, which starts just outside of the Park’s southwest gate, there aren’t a lot of things: No McDonald’s. No stoplights. Definitely no fine...
View ArticleRainier Photo Slideshow
See the winning photo in the October issue of Seattle Met, on newsstands September 21.
View ArticleWhere to Stay in Mount Rainier National Park
Under a RoofNational Park InnOpen year-round and snow free before almost anything else in the park, Longmire serves as a kind of home base for Mount Rainier operations. Most of the 25 hotel rooms are...
View ArticleInsider’s Guide to Mount Rainier National Park
Image: Jeff MarshEver been on a flight into Sea-Tac and seen a passenger smush her nose to the window when the airplane passes Mount Rainier? Ever been that gawker?It’s hard not to rubberneck at our...
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