Outdoors & River/September 11, 2026
There used to be a town here
Franklin was a coal town of more than a thousand people, a few miles from here. Now it's a cemetery and some holes in the ground
Outdoors & River
Trails, river conditions, parks, foothills, weather-adjacent recreation, and getting outside.
Outdoors & River/September 11, 2026
The trees were here before the country
Federation Forest is old-growth on the road up the mountain, saved a century ago by a bunch of women's clubs nobody remembers. Go stand in it
Outdoors & River/September 11, 2026
The last town before the mountain
Gateway to Mount Rainier, is printed on the signs like a slogan. Out here it turns out to be an actual job
Outdoors & River/September 11, 2026
The park kept the name after the fire went out
There’s a state park near here called Flaming Geyser. Manage your expectations, then go anyway
Outdoors & River/September 11, 2026
The mountain keeps its own hours
Mountain Notes, there's a phrase here, "the mountain's out," that does a lot of quiet work. On living with a fourteen-thousand-foot neighbor who shows up only when it feels like it
Outdoors & River/September 11, 2026
The flat part of town is the top of the mountain
The Mountain Lost Its Top. Enumclaw Got the Real Estate
Outdoors & River/September 8, 2026
Crystal Mountain Woke Up to September Snow
A dusting of September snow at Crystal Mountain is a seasonal nudge that the ski season is closer than your summer gear might suggest.
Outdoors & River/September 8, 2026
Green River Gorge Swimming Hole Is Going Viral Again
Instagram creator @browngirlblueskies is sending Seattle day-trippers straight to Green River Gorge Resort, with a handy breakdown of costs, swimming spots, and trail times.
Outdoors & River/September 8, 2026
Mount Rainier’s Summit Melted. It Has a New High Point.
A fresh off-season survey finds that Columbia Crest has lost nearly 22 feet of elevation since 2010, and the southwest crater rim is now Washington’s true rooftop.
Outdoors & River/September 7, 2026
Rainier’s Southwest Face Is No "Mount Marshmallow"
A hike up the Comet Falls and Van Trump Trail reveals a drier, rockier side of Mount Rainier that most visitors never see.
Outdoors & River/September 3, 2026
Late-August Trail Report: Reflection Lakes to Skyline Loop
A TikTok creator shared an on-the-ground trail conditions report for three popular Mt. Rainier-area destinations as of August 31.
Outdoors & River/September 3, 2026
Enumclaw’s Backyard Volcano, as Seen from 250 Miles Up
NASA astronaut @astro_kimbrough captured a photograph of Mt. Rainier from the International Space Station, offering a perspective that puts the mountain’s scale in a whole new context.