Naches Peak Loop Trail in October, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, USA. In altitude, Washington varies from sea level up to 14,411 feet (4,392 meters) at the summit of Mount Rainier, which is the highest peak in the Cascade Range. With 26 major glaciers, Mount Rainier is the most heavily glaciated peak in the lower 48 states, with 35 square miles (91 square km) of permanent snowfields and glaciers. This active stratovolcano (composite volcano) is in Pierce County, 54 miles (87 km) southeast of Seattle. Published since 2013 on StayRainier.com and AltaCrystalResort.com web sites. Global warming and climate change: Mount Rainier’s glaciers shrank 22% by area and 25% by volume between 1913 and 1994 in conjunction with rising temperatures (Nylen 2004). As of 2009, monitored glaciers are continuing to retreat (NPS). Over the last century, most glaciers have been shrinking across western North America (Moore et al. 2009) and the globe (Lemke et al. 2007) in association with increasing temperatures.
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