Rainier
The following is adapted from Northwest editor Michael Lanzas new book, Before Theyre Gone: A Familys Year-Long Quest to Explore Americas Most Endangered National Parks ($24.95, beacon.org, TheBigOutside.com).
Empty White Mountain summits. Tourist-free Yellowstone geysers. Rarely hiked Yosemite ridges. Rangers, guidebook writers, outfitters, and ultra-hikers dish their favorite routes for the first time.
Trek to a lofty, iconic basecamp on Rainier's snowy slopes.
See scores of wildflowers, waterfalls, and peaks.
Explore Mt. Rainier from nearly every angle on this hike from Fryingpan Creek to Mowich Lake. The classic route tags the subalpine meadows of Summerland, crests 5,000-foot Cowlitz Divide, and links dozens of crystalline lakes and waterfalls.
We mapped nearly 300 miles of trail to bring you the only resource you'll need to jump-start your adventures in this premier park.
The region's best picks from our top field correspondent, who's notched more than 1,800 trail miles throughout the West and mapped 116 trips.
America’s leading advocate of wilderness silence shows the way to Mt. Rainier National Park’s quietest corner. Plus: 9 more campsites with life-list listening.
Tryout tips from a Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. Veteran
George Dunn, co-owner of International Mountain Guides, recalls personal adventures and gives tips about climbing Mount Rainier.
Can you ever really have too much of a good thing? Once you've seen the biggest tree, largest glacier, and deepest canyon, nothing else compares.
See scores of stunning images from the Grand Canyon, Denali, Yosemite, and more.
We traveled to Fjordland and discovered that nothing compares to skiing glacier-clad mountains above deep-water fjords. Plus: 20 winter adventures, from California to New York.
The granddaddy of the Cascades looms above Seattle like a great white beacon for snow junkies. The mountain's 25 major glaciers hold enough ice to bury Manhattan 150 feet deep, and some of the planet's highest recorded snowfalls guarantee powder for all. Paradise, the park's winter epicenter, has year-round road access.
Circumnavigate the West's most majestic mountain.
Hike high points on Mt. Rainier, Mt. Washington, and Mt. Whitney.
This challenging climb on Mt. Rainier gains almost 2,000 feet per mile.
Find real solitude amid the crowds at these secret stashes.
From the best guiding service to ultimate summit routes, Washington's highest peak is still the greatest.
Two years after hurricane-force winds and rain ravaged hundreds of miles of trail in Mt. Rainier National Park, the true damage is finally becoming clear. And what it's telling scientists is alarming: Bigger, more frequent–and more destructive–storms
may be coming.
Where winter strikes year-round
Only an hour from Seattle, this Cascades gem offers killer Rainier views.
Trek the best spring blooms from the Ozarks to the Olympics with these two, three, and four day treks.
Our map team has been hard at work plotting the coolest hikes. Check out May's selections here.
America's 100 Best Hikes–chosen by you.
Write your own ticket to new adventures with these 10 territory-expanding skills.
Coming soon to your city: far-out adventures that are shockingly close to home.
Stop dreaming, start planning with our top tips and picks for boots and gaiters
Get to the top and you'll hear a joyous echo
Snowshoe to a scenic high balcony
You'll never get a bad view of Rainier's glacier-clad slopes.
Our comprehensive guide to the best backpacking you can find in Washington.
Mind-bending views, close-up wildlife encounters.
The greatest backpacking parks in the United States, chosen for their scenery.
Sure, you can summit Mt. Rainier, but the real treasure isn't on top. It's the Wonderland Trail down below.
In every backpacker's life, there comes a time when you stare awestruck at a mountain and wonder, "What's it like to climb that sucker?"
A small taste of Washington's mighty mountain.
When temps warm but the going's still snowy, strap on snowshoes to reach Washington's hidden camping gems.
