USA ~ Mount Rainier National Park - Washington ~

... Lovely view of one of the many beautiful snow scenes that can be found at the park during winter months... it is the 5th oldest national park in the US... best known for its glacier-capped volcano which is in the center of the park... Mount Rainier stands as an icon in the Washington landscape... over 230,000 acres of glacial valleys, ancient forests and sub alpine flower meadows surround Mount Rainier... the park is a popular destination for hiking, backpacking and mountain climbing in some of Washington state’s most stunning landscapes...  at least 1,5 million people visit Mount Rainier National Park every year... Thanks a lot Christie! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Photo:© Loren Lane
Mount Rainier National Park is located in Southwest Washington state and became a National Park in 1899 with a size of  235,625 acres (954 km²). It is an active volcano that last erupted about 1,000 years ago and is 14,410 feet tall. Mount Rainier has at least 25 glaciers (named) and several other unnamed snowfields.

In total, you can find 65 species of mammals, 14 different species of amphibians, 5 types of reptiles, 182 types of birds and 14 different types of indigenous fish.

Native American tribes referred to the mountain as Talol, which means “mother of waters”, Tacoma which means “place where the water begins”, or Tahoma, which means “snowy peak”. The mountain was then named Rainier in 1792 by the British explorer George Vancouver for his friend Pete Rainier (Pete Rainier never visited Mount Rainier). To this day there is still some argument of changing back to the original name of Tahoma.

Stamps:

Christmas - Sparkling Santas
(Issued 11-10-2018)

Madonna and Child by Bachiacca
(Issued 03-10-2018)

Christmas Carols
(Issued 05-10-2017)