© Pete Saloutos/Panoramic Images (Washington Title Image Large)
Cascade Peaks
Residents and visitors alike identify Mount Rainier with the State of Washington. The ecosystems around the mountain include rocky alpine slopes and ridges, subalpine meadows, lakes, forests with towering trees, waterfalls, and streams and rivers.
Similar habitats occur on the other volcanic peaks in Washington: Mt. Baker, Glacier Peak, and Mount Adams. Of course, Mount St. Helens used to feature this same suite of ecosystem types. Today, Mount St. Helens offers the opportunity to see firsthand a major geologic event followed by the recovery of the mountain’s ecosystems.
Ecological Systems of the Cascade Peaks
North Pacific Alpine and Subalpine Bedrock and Scree
North Pacific Volcanic Rock and Cinder Land
North Pacific Alpine and Subalpine Dry Grassland
North Pacific Dry and Mesic Alpine Dwarf-Shrubland, Fell-Field and Meadow
