Rainier, Mount

Mount Rainier in Washington State is the highest volcano of the Cascade Range. Although not especially active recently it has a significant cover of ice and snow, which if melted rapidly would produce catastrophic flooding of nearby populated areas.

Highest mountain in the Cascade Range, Washington State, USA. Rising to 4,389 m/14,410 ft, it is a dormant volcano, crowned by 5 major and 20 minor glaciers. Dense forests cover the slopes below the treeline, which is located at about 1,520 m/5,000 ft. Mount Rainier National Park was created in 1899, the fifth earliest in the USA. Up to 2 million visitors arrive each year.

Steam vents in the summit crater, which is more than 2 km/1 mi in diameter, indicate that the volcano is not extinct; the last eruption occurred around 100 to 150 years ago.

The peak was named after Rear Admiral Peter Rainier, after being sighted by the British navigator George Vancouver in 1792.