Home to more than 120 alpine plant species, three of which are found nowhere else in the world, Mount Rainier remains a refuge for a diversity of flora and fauna. It is also a magnet for the hundreds of thousands of people who live within sight of its snowy slopes and for millions of visitors who arrive from around the world each year. O'Hara and McNulty explore the conflict this presents as park managers attempt to balance protection of the mountain's fragile ecosystems with the desires of the many who wish to seek solitude in its vast forests or challenge themselves on its daunting glaciers.

Unique and charming gift book about iconic Mount Rainier National Park from a beloved artist's perspective

Fully updated and revised, Hiking Mount Rainier is a comprehensive and concise guide to the well-maintained trails nestled between the two major metropolises of the Pacific Northwest. Included are sixty hike descriptions for hikers of all ages and skill levels.

CLICK HERE to download two hikes — "Yellowstone Cliffs & Windy Gap" & "Box Canyon" — from Day Hiking Mount Rainier * 70 national park trails, each rated on an overall-quality scale of 1 to 5 * Hikes-at-a-Glance chart, topographic maps, GPS waypoints, and elevation profiles * Crystal-clear directions with drive-times from major cities and junctions * 1% of sales donated to the Washington Trails Association for trail maintenance The tallest mountain in the Cascade Range has long beckoned hikers to its many trails. Compact, portable, and beautifully packaged, Day Hiking Mount Rainier provides the most thorough coverage of Mount Rainier National Park to date, including the park's four main entrances-Nisqually, Carbon River, White River/Sunrise, and Stevens Canyon/Ohanapecosh -- as well as Cayuse Pass and Highway 123, the Grove of the Patriarchs, Camp Muir, parts of the Wonderland Trail, Longmire, and Paradise. Nearby camping options are included, plus info on how to extend your hike, a full-color photo insert and overview map, quick-reference icons for kids, dogs, views, and much more.

North Cascades National Park is remote, rugged, and spectacularly majestic. Efforts to establish a park gained traction after World War II, as national interest in wilderness preservation and concerns about the impact of harvesting timber grew. Troubled by the National Park Service¿s policy favoring development for tourism and the United States Forest Service¿s policy promoting logging in the national forests, conservationists leveraged a changing political environment and the evolving environmental values of the natural resource agencies. Their activism eventually led to the 1968 creation of a crown jewel--Washington¿s magnificent third national park. This engaging account tells the story.

Looks at the evolving relationship between the mountain and its surrounding residents, from the late 1890s when the Pacific Forest Reserve became Mount Rainier National Park. Catton tells the history of the park and examines the many controversies that affected its development, from proposals to develop a chairlift for downhill skiers to environmental degradation from overuse of popular areas.