South Cascades of Washington State. Travel Guide

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South Cascades

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in Washington Regions

Created: 24 September 2012

First of all, it should be mentioned that the Cascades are a mountain range that stretches from California, USA, to Canada. This range is famous for its cone volcanoes and the most beautiful scenery.

The Washington Cascades are very diverse; they were formed by pressure from the collision of two plates, the North American plate and the Juan de Fuca plate.

Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams are the most famous snow-capped volcanoes in the South Cascades. This part of the Cascades attracts numbers of tourists annually and is considered the most popular recreation area.

Mount Rainier National Park is the main attraction in this region and is visited by millions of visitors including climbers who try to reach Mount Rainier’s peak. It should be mentioned that the height of this mountain is 14, 410 feet.

Park also opens great opportunities for hikers. Here you can enjoy magnificent alpine scenery, deep forests, gorgeous meadows and peaceful lakes.

The park also offers very comfortable campgrounds and beautiful nature walks for the families.

Ninety seven percent of the park is wilderness which is preserved; it includes Mount Rainier Wilderness and Clearwater Wilderness.

Mount St. Helens is very popular among the hikers for its interesting and not difficult hiking routes. It should be mentioned that this volcano erupted in May 1980 and caused a lot of damage. After the eruption the territory around Mount St. Helens and the mountain itself received the status of U.S. National Monument – Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. The monument was established on August 27, 1982 by President Ronald Reagan. This territory of 110, 000 acre was conserved for research, education and recreation.

The third famous volcano Mount Adams is situated in the southwestern part of this area in the center of the Mount Adams Wilderness. This mountain, the height of which is 12, 276 feet, is a very popular among climbers and hikers.

The upper part of Mount Adams has wonderful glaciers, beautiful alpine meadows and barren moraines.

On lower elevations most parts of the mountain is covered with forests. The top of the volcano is covered with ice and there are ten glaciers on the flanks of the mountain.

Lava flows are visible up to 10 km from the volcano. Takh Takh Lava Flow is the youngest lava flow that surrounds Mt. Adams. This 10-mile lava flow is about 3,000 years old. The Takh Takh Lava Flow is the youngest from the eruptions of a potentially active stratovolcano Mt.Adams.