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Mount Rainier is a stratovolcanoMount Rainier, a stratovolcano. A stratovolcano (also composite cone or composite volcano is a tall, conical mountain ( volcano) composed of both hardened lava and volcanic ash. The shape of these volcanoes is characteristically steep in profile because l (and national parkThis article is about national parks. For the articles about the towns of National Park, see National Park, New Jersey and National Park, New Zealand. National parks are reserves of land, usually owned by national governments, that are protected from most) located 54 miles (87 km) southeast of Seattle, WashingtonSeattle is the largest city in the U. state of Washington, and in the U. Pacific Northwest, with a total estimated population of 569,101 as of 2003. It is situated between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, about 108 miles (180 km) south of the Canadian bor in Pierce CountyPierce County is the second most populous county in the State of Washington. It was named for U. President Franklin Pierce. As of 2000, the population is 700,820. The county seat is Tacoma, on Commencement Bay. Pierce County is notable for being home to t. One of the monarchs of the Cascade Range, it was originally known as Tahoma or TacomaMount Rainier in background You may be looking for Takoma or Tacoma class frigate. Tacoma is the county seat of Pierce County 6, located on Commencement Bay and the Tacoma Narrows. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 193,556. It is the hom, from the PuyallupThe Puyallup are a Native American tribe from western Washington state, U. They settled onto reservation lands in what is today Tacoma, Washington, in late 1854, after signing the Treaty of Medicine Creek. The Puyallup tribe originally spoke the Puyallup word tacobet, or "mother of waters." Due to its prominence in the southern horizon, Seattle-area residents refer to it as The Mountain.

While it is possible to climb to the summit, it is not an easy hike; in most years, unpredictable snow and storms trap and kill hikers. Mount Rainier is a good place for winter sports, including snowshoeing and skiing. Above 6000 feet (1800m) elevation, Rainier is mostly covered by glaciers, but heat from the volcano keeps areas of the crater rim on its summit cone ice-free.

Mount Rainier's earliest lavas are about 500,000 years old (Sisson and others, 2001). The most recent recorded eruption was between 1820 and 1854, but many eyewitnesses reported eruptive activity in the late 1800s (Harris, 1988). As of 2002, there is no imminent risk of eruption, but geologists expect that the volcano will erupt again. Lahars (large volcanic debris flows) from Rainier pose the most risk to life and property. However, Rainier is also capable of producing pyroclastic flows as well as hot lava.

The White, Carbon , Puyallup, Nisqually, and Cowlitz Rivers arise on the slopes of Mount Rainier. The first three combine as the Puyallup and empty into Commencement Bay at Tacoma; the Nisqually empties into Puget Sound east of Lacey; and the Cowlitz empties into the Columbia River between Kelso and Longview.