#npwest

National Park Week: It’s Earth Day! People celebrate in all different ways, but what about making some art at home? We see beautiful depictions of Mount Rainier all the time, from photography and embroidery, to paint and fiber crafts! How will you show your love for the Earth today?

We’ve created a coloring page for park lovers young and old! Print it out, color it however you want, and share your finished art work in the comments! -cm

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NPS photo of a line drawing of a mountain, with trees on a hillside with a bear, boulders and two people walking along a trail.

Shonna Siegers photo of an embroidered map of Mount Rainier National Park.

Shonna Siegers collage of photos showing different details of an embroidered map of Mount Rainer National Park.

NPS photo of a felt pendant with a gray mountain with white snow against a blue background with a green hill in the foreground. It hangs on a brown stick with thin rope.

Thank you for making our 100th birthday on Thursday such a success!

Visitors to Longmire enjoyed walking tours of the historic district, an exhibition of some of the park’s museum artifacts, and got to interact with characters of the park’s Living History Program.

Happy Birthday National Park Service!

Celebrating science and the 100th birthday of the National Park Service at Sunrise today. From geology and glaciers to soundscapes and wildlife—our scientists are sharing their knowledge of Mount Rainier’s unique resources.  

Here at Mount Rainier National Park, we’re toasting the National Park Service’s 100th birthday!

At Longmire, we started the day by the historic gas station with a display of some of the park’s museum collection. The park curator was on hand to talk about the many interesting objects and artifacts shown, and to tell the fascinating stories behind them.

Redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) grow tall really tall. But looking up at the crown of a tree from the ground generally doesn’t help reveal the full truth of its height, just as standing at the base of a skyscraper doesn’t allow you to see the top.

Looking up the trunks of several redwoods in Tall Trees Grove

Since climbing redwoods is only done by researchers with permits who take measures to preserve the sensitive canopy ecosystems and to not disturb threatened or endangered species nesting high in the trees, most of us will never get the “Empire State” tour of the redwoods. 

But that also helps preserve part of the mystery of the redwoods!

Not knowing what is at the top helps our imaginations climb that much higher. But in case your imagination hasn’t had that much exercise in a while, here’s a general idea of what a tall redwood next to the Capitol Building would look like:

The U.S. Capitol Building as it would appear next to the Tall Trees Grove

SO WHY SO TALL?

Why do redwoods put so much energy into growing so tall? What are the benefits? The drawbacks? As you use your imagination to ponder these tree-mendously tall questions, gaze upon the photo below in your quest for answers:

Fog seeping in from the Pacific as viewed from the Bald Hills