Mount Rainier
| Mount Rainier | |
|---|---|
| Tahoma | |
Mount Rainier's northwestern slope viewed aerially just before sunset on September 6, 2020 | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 14,410 ft (4,390 m) NGVD 29 |
| Prominence | 13,210 ft (4,030 m) |
| Isolation | 731 mi (1,176 km) |
| Listing | |
| Coordinates | 46°51′6″N 121°45′37″W / 46.85167°N 121.76028°W |
| Naming | |
| Etymology | Peter Rainier |
| Geography | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Pierce County |
| Protected area | Mount Rainier National Park |
| Parent range | Cascade Range |
| Topo map | USGS Mount Rainier West |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | 500,000 years |
| Mountain type | Stratovolcano |
| Volcanic arc | Cascade Volcanic Arc |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1870 by Hazard Stevens and P. B. Van Trump |
| Easiest route | rock/ice climb via Disappointment Cleaver |
Mount Rainier (/reɪˈnɪər/ ray-NEER), also known as Tahoma, is a large active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest in the United States. The mountain is located in Mount Rainier National Park about 59 miles (95 km) south-southeast of Seattle. With an officially recognized summit elevation of 14,410 ft (4,392 m) at the Columbia Crest, it is the highest mountain in the U.S. state of Washington, the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States, and the tallest in the Cascade Volcanic Arc.
Due to its high probability of an eruption in the near future and proximity to a major urban area, Mount Rainier is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world, and it is on the Decade Volcano list. The large amount of glacial ice means that Mount Rainier could produce massive lahars that could threaten the entire Puyallup River valley and other river valleys draining Mount Rainier, including the Carbon, White, Nisqually, and Cowlitz (above Riffe Lake). According to the United States Geological Survey's 2008 report, "about 80,000 people and their homes are at risk in Mount Rainier's lahar-hazard zones."
Between 1950 and 2018, 439,460 people climbed Mount Rainier. Approximately 84 people died in mountaineering accidents on Mount Rainier from 1947 to 2018.