Paradise meadows
Flowers below the white summit.
Tobi 87 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · NPS Photo — Public domain · NPS Photo — Public domain · Mount Rainier National Park from Ashford, WA, United States — CC BY 2.0 · NPS Photo — Public domain
Mount Rainier is a large active volcano in the Cascade Range, inside Mount Rainier National Park, about 95 km south-southeast of Seattle. At 4,391 m it is the highest peak in Washington State and the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States, with ice all year round. It is also known as Tahoma. Because of its heavy ice and closeness to a big urban area, it is rated one of the world's most dangerous volcanoes and is on the Decade Volcano list. An eruption could send great mudflows down the surrounding river valleys, though visiting today is safe in normal conditions, and geological agencies monitor it. The best known visitor area is Paradise, where meadows spread under the white summit and wildflowers bloom thickly in the short summer. The park also has green lakes, old forests and waterfalls, and mountain roads reveal distant Cascade peaks. Winter brings deep snow and changes the whole scene. It is 102 km in a straight line from Seattle, and longer by road, so it is a long day trip by car. Many upper roads close in winter, so check the park's site first. Bring warm clothes even in summer, and keep to the trails, as the meadows are fragile. The weather changes fast, and cloud can hide the summit all day.
Flowers below the white summit.
Among old forests.
On the far horizon.
Mount Rainier National Park, southeast of Seattle, Washington
Summer, when upper roads open and flowers bloom. Many close in winter.
It is an active volcano under monitoring, and visiting is safe in normal conditions.