The Road to Rainier Scenic Byway has grown from a Native American forest trail, hundreds of years old, to a modern forest highway carrying 1.5 million travelers a year. In 1833, a European tourist first reached a glacier, and soon others followed, seeking the wonders of Mount Rainier. In 1903, the railroad reached Eatonville; and national park visitors, who started as a few thousand, became tens of thousands. With a market for timber, hundreds rushed to claim the lands. Forestry and tourism both thrived off the rich natural resources, and as the region developed, purely commercial ventures were supplemented with educational outreach. Charles L. Pack Experimental Forest, established in 1926, conducts scientific research into forest management and sustainability. Historical interpretation has become a function of the Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad and Logging Museum. The Road to Rainier Scenic Byway continues to serve all as it heads to scenic Mount Rainier.
The Nisqually Valley has long been a transportation route, a source of livelihood for its residents, and a source of beauty for its visitors. Before settlement, a system of trails through the valley gave Native Americans access to rich hunting and fishing, as well as access to a larger, cross-mountain trail system and places of spiritual significance. The first settlers entered the valley in the 1860s. Not long after, the first tourist arrived in Mount Rainier. The first recorded ascent of the mountain was in 1870. Throughout the years, as more settlers arrived and the forest industries exploded, the valley welcomed an increase in trains, roads, and visitor accommodations. With the establishment of Mount Rainier National Park in 1899, tourism began supplementing the forestry industry. In the last 100 years, forestry, farming, and sightseeing have been the story of the valley and its people.
Mount Rainier rises 14,410 feet above sea level and can be seen on any given day by over three million people and from over 100 miles away. It is America's fifth national park, established in 1899. The mountain is an active but currently dormant volcano. With 25 named glaciers, 50 smaller unnamed glaciers, and numerous perennial snowfields, Mount Rainier boasts the largest glacier system in the continental United States. In addition to the glacier zone, the park has alpine and subalpine forest and subtropical rain forest. Each zone has its own unique ecology of plants and animals. The vistas of and from the mountain are some of the most spectacular in all of the park system.
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