

Mt. Ranier surrounded by its foothills and the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. This is part of a 1.37 million acre parcel of protected land that is home to grizzly bears, spotted owls, bald eagles, and wolves. Summited by 10,000 people a year, Ranier is the tallest peak in the Lower 48 and is an active stratovolcano. 5,000 years ago Ranier lost its top 1,600 feet in an avalanche that carried ice and snow all the way to south Seattle and spilled into the Puget Sound.