Basic Information
On March 2nd, 1899, Mount Rainier National Park was established, covering 235,625 acres of land. This beautiful area of Washington state contains the tallest mountain on the Cascade Range- Mount Rainier. It rises more than 3 miles into the sky and is currently an active volcano. The peak is one of the largest volcanoes in the world and is 14,410 feet above sea level. Mount Rainier is the most glaciated peak in the entire Unites States as well, and spawns six major rivers. In fact, each summer, which is the busiest time of the year for the park, 1.5 million people come to visit the incredible natural wonders that call Mount Rainier National Park their home.
Just a few of the creatures that live in the park are chipmunks, Ice worms, Snowshoe hare, Ptarmigan, Columbine Black-tailed deer, Douglas squirrels, and Stellar jays. Now, you might be wondering what a Ptarmigan and an Ice worm are. A ptarmigan is simply a type of bird that usually changes white in the winter and usually lives in mountainous and Arctic areas. An Ice worm on the other hand, is an animal that similarly looks like a black thread, consumes algae, and is less than an inch in length. These creatures are just a handful of the sights Mount Rainier National Park has to offer. One of the famous characteristics of the park are the wildflowers that surround Mount Rainier in the summertime. Additionally, there are ancient forests around the peak, as well as a few incredible dazzling waterfalls.
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