Mt. Rainier National Park Needs To Calm Down

Nate Shivar
Mountain Forest Landscape

There’s an American joke that when God was creating the Earth, he was carefully handing out beautiful nature scenery one by one around the world…and then he tripped & fell over the Rockies, spilling out all the scenery at once.

I definitely felt that way while visiting Washington, but especially Mt. Rainier National Park. There was no subtlety or nuance or context to the raw, obvious, sheer beauty of the landscape around Mt. Rainier. It was straight-up out of a picture book – trees, rivers, mountains, valleys.

I can’t say that it’s my favorite National Park or the most beautiful place on Earth. But it’s definitely the most obviously beautiful place on Earth. I’m thankful it was cared for for so many centuries by native peoples and then when industrial development showed up, the American people decided to set it aside to preserve for future generations.

Nate Shivar

I'm Nate Shivar - I live in Atlanta and love exploring the city, public lands, books & Internet. Read about me or my work. Contact via email.

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