What is the highest mountain in the Cascade Range?

Mount Rainier is the highest mountain in the Cascade Range. This massive Washington stratovolcano reaches about 14,410 feet (4,392 meters) and dominates the skyline south-southeast of Seattle.

Rainier is part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc, created by the Juan de Fuca Plate sliding beneath the North American Plate. The volcano is still considered active and last erupted around the 15th century. Its Indigenous name, Tahoma, remains widely used, while the English name honors British admiral Peter Rainier.

The mountain is famous for its extensive ice cover. More than two dozen major glaciers descend its slopes, making it the most heavily glaciated peak in the contiguous United States. Mount Rainier National Park, established in 1899, protects the volcano, surrounding forests, alpine meadows, and glacier-fed valleys.

Mount Adams, Mount Hood, Mount Shasta, and Mount Baker are other major Cascade peaks, but none reaches Rainier's elevation. A modern complication is that melting ice has shifted the volcano's highest measurable point, although the traditional elevation and ranking remain standard in references.