Paradise Found

The gateway to Mount Rainier National Park and the road to Paradise. The national park encompasses 235,625 acres on the west-side of the Cascade Range, and is located about 50 miles southeast of the Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area. It is approximately 97 percent wilderness and 3 percent National Historic Landmark District and receives approximately 2 million visitors per year.

With freshly fallen snow just down the road, a trillium is seen in full bloom. As the name implies, the wildflower's leaves and petals grow in threes. The petals at first are pure white but turn a dark rose color with age.

The three summits of Mount Rainier are Liberty Cap, Columbia Crest, and Point Success. Success, seen here, sits on what is believed to be a lava shelf below the mountain's dome and at 5,400 feet, it is the highest point that can be driven to. Mountain climbing is very difficult and involves climbing on the largest glaciers in the U.S. south of Alaska. Most climbers require two to three days to reach the summit.

A small tree on the edge of the Mount Rainier's Paradise Valley is bent over by the heavy, fresh morning snow in late May 2008. This area, the prime winter-use area in the park, receives, on average, 680 inches of snow per year. Paradise id also known for its wildflower meadows.

Snowshoeing, in sunshine or a blizzard, is a favorite activity on trails that lead to the top of Washington State's Mount Rainier. The mountain is an active Cascade volcano encased in 35 square miles of snow and glacial ice.

The summit of Mount Rainier is seen at sunrise after two days of constant snow, May 22, 2008. According to the National Park Service, in 2005, 8,972 people attempted to climb Mount Rainier; 4,604 of them actually reached the summit.

A man takes a morning walk through the fresh snow near the historic Paradise Inn at the edge of Paradise Valley, May 22, 2008. Paradise, one of five developed areas of Mount Rainier, is located at an elevation of 5,400 feet and most trails are hilly.

A red fox is spotted in the snow near the Paradise Inn. The species is sometimes called a silver phase red fox, referring to the charcoal coloring in its fur. Mount Rainier National Park is home to approximately 54 species of mammals, 126 species of birds, and 17 species of amphibians and reptiles.

Before the moon disappears from the sky, the first light of morning lights up the mountain peaks. Geologists consider the mountain to be an "episodically active" volcano, meaning one that will erupt again some time in the future even though it may be quiet now. Mount Rainier is the tallest volcano and fifth highest peak in the contiguous United States.

The Paradise Inn, located 5,450 feet high up on the slopes of Mount Rainier, re-opened in May 2008, after a two-year renovation. Originally built in 1917, it's all hand-hewn logs and Douglas fir floors, with a gorgeous, expansive lobby decorated in knotty-pine furniture.

The Paradise Inn, a Mount Rainier landmark, sits above a deep valley beyond which offers a terrific view of the mountain peaks.