To celebrate the National Park Service's 100th anniversary this August, USA TODAY will be highlighting one national park per week until the centennial on August 25th. This week is extra special as well, given that it's National Parks Week, where admission is free to any national park from April 16-24. After starting with Yellowstone National Park last week, we now move north to Washington state, and Mount Rainier National Park. The fifth national park, Mount Rainier was established in 1899, just 17 years before the National Park Service was created. The park contains over 236,000 acres, including Mount Rainier itself, which stands over 14,000 feet tall. Explore the park through videos, photo galleries, and more all week.
Mt. Rainier's snowy slopes served a special purpose for U.S. troops during World War II.:
When Yong Chun Kim got trapped in white-out conditions on Mt. Rainier, he didn't lose hope, but the experience hiker did lose a few bucks and his socks in his fight for survival:
Tim O'Brien and Cory Mackie have always been avid climbers. They even got married in climbing gear on Mt. Rainier. When Tim hit a huge health hurdle, Cory stepped up in a huge way to help save his life:
