Mount Rainier National Park is located in southwestern Washington. At 14,410 feet, Mount. Rainier is the fifth highest peak and the tallest volcano in the contiguous U. S. The park, with many surrounding mountains included, occupies almost one-quarter million acres . Paradise, on Mount Rainier's southern slopes, held a world's record of 1122 inches for maximum snowfall in a single season from 1972 to 1999. In 1999, Mount Baker in northwest Washington surpassed it with a seasonal snowfall of 1140 inches. These mountains, due to their proximity to the Pacific Ocean and their substantial elevation above sea level, make their own weather.

The images on this site are from roadside stops and hikes of less than five miles during three visits to Mount Rainier, August 1995, July 1998, and August 2003. From my photographer's view, I rank Rainier as one of the top national parks. The mountain's shear mass is awesome, and the combination of geology, weather and flora is unparalleled in any of the western parks I have visited.

For convenience, the images has been divided into five galleries. Three of the five galleries are named for regions of the park. A given gallery may contain images from an area that is close to it, but not within the named region. The remaining galleries are views from Skyline Trail, the most heavily-used among the major trails in the park, and images of park wildflowers.