Kimberly Anderson
Mount Rainier National Park
Anyone in Seattle, Washington, who looks southeast on a clear day, will catch sight of the gigantic, looming Mount Rainier, a dormant glacier-covered volcano. Such viewings are fairly rare, though, as the mountain is frequently shrouded in clouds. It also receives large amounts of precipitation, most notably snow; the park has recorded some of the world’s highest annual snowfall accumulations. All that moisture produces lush vegetation that includes towering conifers and fantastic displays of wildflowers in spring and summer. Mount Rainier is a mountaineering mecca, with thousands of climbers ascending to its 14,410-foot (4,392-meter) summit annually.
