Visit Wilderness

Search for a wilderness as the destination for your next outdoor adventure.

Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, Minnesota

Why Visit Wilderness?

While wilderness can be appreciated from afar—through online content, television, or books—nothing compares to experiencing it firsthand. Activities like camping, hiking, or hunting allow you to fully enjoy the recreational, ecological, spiritual, and health benefits that wilderness areas offer. These areas provide “outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation,” chances to observe wildlife, moments to renew and refresh, and the physical benefits of outdoor exercise. In many wilderness areas, you can even bring your well-behaved dog.

Learn more about the diverse ways in which we benefit from wilderness and threats wilderness areas face today.

Mount Rainier Wilderness is located on the west side of the Cascade Range, approximately 50 miles southeast of the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area.

At 14,410 feet, Mount Rainier itself is the most prominent peak in the Cascade Range. It dominates the landscape of a large part of western Washington State. The mountain stands nearly three miles higher than the lowlands to the west and one and one-half miles higher than the adjacent mountains.

Twenty-six named glaciers spill down the slopes, covering approximately 37 square miles, making it the most heavily glaciated peak in the contiguous United States. Mount Rainier is an active volcano that last erupted approximately 150 years ago.

But the distinguishing aspects of this Wilderness only begin with the mountain. Mount Rainier Wilderness is part of a complex ecosystem. Vegetation is diverse, reflecting the varied climatic and environmental conditions encountered across the area's 12,800-feet elevation gradient. Species known or thought to occur in the park include more than 800 vascular plants, 159 birds, 63 mammals, 16 amphibians, 5 reptiles, and 18 native fishes.

The Mount Rainier Wilderness contains 26 named glaciers across 9 major watersheds, with 382 lakes and 470 rivers and streams.

Leave No Trace

How to follow the seven standard Leave No Trace principles differs in different parts of the country (desert vs. Rocky Mountains). Click on any of the principles listed below to learn more about how they apply in the Mount Rainier Wilderness.

Plan Ahead and Prepare
Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
Dispose of Waste Properly
Leave What You Find
Minimize Campfire Impacts
Respect Wildlife
Be Considerate of Other Visitors

For more information on Leave No Trace, Visit the Leave No Trace, Inc. website.

Location

Mount Rainier National Park is located in Washington State, on the west-side of the Cascade Range, approximately 50 miles southeast of the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area. Year-round access to the park is via state route 706 to the Nisqually Entrance in the southwest corner of the park. Limited winter access is available via highway 123 in the southeast corner of the park. The Carbon River/Mowich Lake area, in the northwest corner of the park, is accessed via state route 165 through Wilkeson. In summer only, the north and east sides of the park can be accessed using highway 410.

Maps

Digital and paper maps are critical tools for wilderness visitors. Online maps can help you plan and prepare for your visit ahead of time. You can also carry digital maps with you on your GPS unit or other handheld GPS device. Having a paper map with you in the backcountry, as well as solid orienteering skills, however, ensures that you can still route-find in the event that your electronic device fails.

Online Maps

Interactive Map of the Mount Rainier Wilderness
Google Earth

Washington Wildernesses

Printed Maps

Fetching MyTopo from Database

USGS Store

Rules & Regulations

Motorized equipment and equipment used for mechanical transport is generally prohibited in all wilderness areas. This includes the use of motor vehicles, motorboats, motorized equipment, bicycles, hang gliders, wagons, carts, portage wheels, and the landing of aircraft including helicopters.

Wilderness-Specific Regulations

Learn more about why regulations may be necessary in wilderness.

Contacts

Applicable Wilderness Law(s)

Public Law 100-668

Date: November 16, 1988
Acreage: 216,855 acres

Washington Park Wilderness Act of 1988 - Public Law 100-668 (11/16/1988) Washington Park Wilderness Act of 1988

For more information (To download or see all affected wilderness areas) visit our law library for 100-668 or special provisions for 100-668 or legislative history for 100-668.

Want to Volunteer for Wilderness?

People who volunteer their time to steward our wilderness areas are an essential part of wilderness management. Contact the following groups to inquire about volunteer opportunities. Groups are listed alphabetically by the state(s) in which the wilderness is located.