The Mount Rainier National Park reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Jul-2004
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Mount Rainier National Park

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Mount Rainier
Image:LocMap_Mount_Rainier.PNG
Designation National park
Location Washington USA
Nearest major City Tacoma, Washington
Latitude 47° 50' N
Longitude 121° 45' W
Area 235,625 acres
95,354 ha
Date of Establishment March 2, 1899
Visitation 1,312,415 (2003)
Governing Body National Park Service
IUCN category II (National Park)

Mount Rainier National Park is a United States National Park located in Washington near Ashford. It was established on March 2, 1899, the fifth national park in the United States. The park contains 368 square miles (953.5 km²) including all of Mount Rainier, a 14410-foot (4392 m) volcano. The mountain rises abruptly from the surrounding land with elevations in the park ranging from 1600 feet (488 m) to over 14000 feet. 95 percent of the park is preserved as wilderness, a designation it received in 1988.

Mount Rainier is circled by the Wonderland Trail and is covered by several glaciers and snowfields totaling some 35 square miles (91 km²). Carbon Glacier is the largest glacier by volume in the lower 48 states. About 1.3 million people visit Mount Rainier National Park each year. Mount Rainier is a popular peak for mountain climbing with some 10,000 attempts per year.

Paradise Visitor Center recorded a world record 1122 inches (2850 cm) of snowfall in 1972.

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