The Mountain

An Insider’s Guide to Visiting Mount Rainier National Park

Make the most of a visit to Washington State's famous volcano.

08/25/2021 By Allison Williams and Seattle Met Staff

Off season

Crystal Mountain Gets Glamping Tents This Summer

You just need to book them with 20–50 of your closest friends.

04/19/2021 By Allison Williams

Roll Yuletide

Day Trips from Seattle for Christmas Day

Go the distance for distanced holidays, or skip the Noel altogether.

12/15/2020 By Allison Williams

Get the Dirt

10 Best Hikes at Mount Rainier National Park

A totally subjective list from a lifelong Rainier hiker.

07/23/2019 By Allison Williams

Behind the Scenes

Climb Every Mountain

What's better than a generic scenery photo and a story phoned in from sea level? Sending a photographer 10,000 feet up to accompany our fearless editor.

07/23/2019 By Jane Sherman

Editor’s Note

A Mountain of Thanks

Making a magazine—like climbing a mountain—isn’t something you do alone.

07/23/2019 By Allecia Vermillion

Fixing Paradise

An Inside Look at the Paradise Inn Remodel

After a $24.5 million, two-year renovation, the classic Rainier hotel reopened in May 2019.

07/23/2019 By Allison Williams

School of Thought

A Small-Town Schoolhouse Gets New Life as a Creative Arts Center

Artists and writers use vintage classrooms to uncover a new side of Rainier.

07/23/2019 By Allison Williams

Bight Size

This Mountain Gear Was Born on Rainier

Peter Whittaker used the mountain to develop the perfect outdoor outfits.

07/23/2019 By Allison Williams

From the Outside In

12 Ways to Do Rainier Without Actually Entering the National Park

Beyond the park boundaries sits a wealth of small-town charm, not to mention lesser-known hikes and stellar views.

07/23/2019 By Allison Williams

Heart of the Mountain

Mount Rainier's Unseen Side Is Otherworldly

A whole labyrinth of caves lies beneath the surface of the active volcano.

07/23/2019 By Allison Williams

Wild Cards

A Guide to Rainier's Rare Flora and Fauna

Bears, marmots, big leafy ferns? That’s everyday stuff at Mount Rainier National Park. Hold out for a sight of these lesser-seen species.

07/23/2019 By Allison Williams

Get High

Meet Rainier's Temporary Town at 10,000 Feet

A day and a night at Camp Muir, home base for climbers, guides, and rangers, halfway up a volcano.

07/23/2019 By Allison Williams

A Time Before Rainier

Should Mount Rainier Revert to Its Original Moniker?

Local Indian tribes lived around a mountain they called Tahoma for centuries, and their legacy struggles to hold on.

07/23/2019 By Allison Williams

Open Secrets

The Top Things to See and Do Inside Mount Rainier National Park

More than two million people visited the park last year. How does a first-timer tackle its 369 square miles?

07/23/2019 By Allison Williams

One-Sentence Stories

Spokanite in Space, Plastic Bag Ban, and Paine Field

Your weekly dose of city news in short.

03/08/2019 By Anne Dennon

Slope Stories

A Short History of Washington's Bygone Ski Hills

Over the years, some of the state’s ski mountains proved as ephemeral as snowflakes.

12/18/2018 By Christina Ausley

Slip Slide Away

10 Ways to Ride the Snow without Skis

Sledding, fat biking, and more ways to enjoy the snow, no skis required.

12/18/2018 By Allison Williams Illustrations by Rami Niemi

Seattle Women 2018

What Pushes Melissa Arnot to the Top of Everest?

“This is my life, my passion.”

01/31/2018 By Allison Williams

Fees, Please

Would You Pay $70 to Visit Mount Rainier?

What about the Olympic National Park? The park system is pondering one heck of a rate hike.

10/25/2017 By Allison Williams