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In August of 1888 the famed naturalist John Muir had his first close encounter with Mount Rainier: “Out of the forest at last there stood the mountain, wholly unveiled, awful in bulk and majesty, filling all the view like a separate, newborn world, yet withal so fine and so beautiful it might well fire the […]

by Donovan Tracy “. . . between woods so dense and ice so deep . . .” In John Muir’s book Our National Parks, 1901, he describes a zone above Mount Rainier’s forests of the loveliest flowers, which essentially create a ‘wreath’ around the mountain of fifty miles and nearly two miles wide. We generally

It has been a pleasure to work with Dr. David Giblin, collections manager for the University of Washington Herbarium, in the production of the third edition of Alpine Flowers of Mount Rainier. Thirteen species have been added bringing the total to 121 flowers commonly found above the timberline. New features include elevation zone designations, ecological

There are 246 miles of maintained trails and many miles of unmaintained ‘boot paths’ in Mount Rainier National Park. These trails offer exceptional opportunities to experience wildflowers for the day hiker, the primary audience of this site. Day Hiking Guide Books There are several day hiking guide books to choose from that are available at

More than 97 percent of Mount Rainier National Park is designated as wilderness. The wild nature of this environment offers wonderful opportunities but also presents some challenges.  It is recommended that hikers review the following on the park service website: https://www.nps.gov/mora/planyourvisit/safety.htm. Above all else hiking in such mountainous terrain requires a full measure of common

Midday August 12, 1888 John Muir came upon a meadow and experienced his first close encounter with The Mountain. He later recounted the moment: “Out of the forest at last there stood the mountain, wholly unveiled, awful in bulk and majesty, filling all the view like a separate, newborn world, yet withal so fine and

The splendor and majesty of the Flowers of Rainier website was featured in the Seattle Times Weekend Plus edition on August 9, 2024.

Primary sources used for plant descriptions and species identification: The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington Herbarium Image Collection. http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection.php  Giblin, D.E. & B.S. Legler (eds.). 2003+. WTU Image Collection Web Site: Vascular Plants, MacroFungi, & Lichenized Fungi of Washington State. University of Washington Herbarium. Accessed 22 Feb 2022. http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection.php. Biek, David.