Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DINING & NIGHTLIFE IN ROSLYN
If you're heading to the hills and want to pack some great jerky, stop by
Carek's
Market
, 510 S. A St., Roslyn (
&
509/649-2930
). Good pizzas can be had at
Village Pizza,
105 Pennsylvania Ave., Roslyn (
&
509/649-2992
). For nightlife
or a simple meal, don't miss
The Brick Bar & Grill
, 1 Pennsylvania Ave.,
Roslyn (
&
509/649-2643
), which claims to be the oldest operating saloon in
Washington and has a unique flowing-water spittoon under the bar. This place
is an absolute classic. If it's good microbrews that you crave, wander up the street
to the
Roslyn Brewery,
208 Pennsylvania Ave. (
&
509/649-2232
), which is a
much more modern place.
6 Mount Rainier National Park
£
& Environs
Paradise: 110 miles SE of Seattle, 70 miles SE of Tacoma, 150 miles NE of Portland, 85 miles NW of Yakima
At 14,410 feet high, Mount Rainier is the tallest mountain in Washington, and
to the sun-starved residents of Seattle and south Puget Sound, the dormant vol-
cano is a giant weather gauge. When the skies clear over Puget Sound, the phrase
“The Mountain is out” is often heard around the region. And when the Moun-
tain is out, all eyes turn to admire its broad slopes.
Those slopes remain snow-covered throughout the year due to the region's
infamous moisture-laden air, which has made Mount Rainier one of the
snowiest spots in the country. In 1972, the mountain set a record when 93
1
⁄
2
feet
of snow fell in 1 year (and that record held until Washington's Mount Baker
received 95 ft. in the winter of 1998-99). Such record snowfalls have created
numerous glaciers on the mountain's flanks, and one of these, the Carbon Glac-
ier, is the lowest-elevation glacier in the continental United States.
Snow and glaciers notwithstanding, Rainier has a heart of fire. Steam vents at
the mountain's summit are evidence that, though this volcanic peak has been
dormant for more than 150 years, it could erupt again at any time. However,
scientists believe that Rainier's volcanic activity occurs in 3,000-year cycles—
and luckily we have another 500 years to go before there's another big eruption.
Known to Native Americans as Tahoma, Mount Rainier received its current
name in 1792 when British explorer Capt. George Vancouver named the mountain
for a friend (who never even visited the region). The first ascent to the mountain's
summit was made in 1870 by Gen. Hazard Stevens and Philemon Van Trump, and
it was 14 years later that James Longmire built the first hotel on the mountain's
flanks. In 1899, Mount Rainier became the fifth national park.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE
If you're coming from Seattle and your destination is
Paradise (the park's most popular area), head for the southwest (Nisqually) park
entrance. Take I-5 south to exit 127 and then head east on Wash. 512. Take the
Wash. 7 exit and head south toward Elbe. At Elbe, continue east on Wash. 706.
If you're coming from Seattle and are heading for the northeast (White River)
park entrance en route to Sunrise or Crystal Mountain, take I-90 to I-405 south.
At Renton, take Wash. 169 south to Enumclaw, where you pick up Wash. 410
heading east.
Note that in winter only the road from the Nisqually entrance to Paradise is
kept open.
From Portland, head north on I-5 to exit 68 and then take U.S. 12 east to the
town of Morton. From Morton, head north on Wash. 7 to Elbe and then turn east
on Wash. 706, which will bring you to the Nisqually (southwest) park entrance.
