Live cameras in Mount Rainier, United States

Mount Rainier is the highest peak in the Cascade Range, a glacier-covered volcano that stands about 14,400 feet above sea level, roughly 60 miles southeast of Seattle and Tacoma. It carries 26 major glaciers and more ice than any other peak in the lower 48 states. Mount Rainier National Park, created in 1899, was the fifth national park in the United States. On the south side, Paradise, at about 5,400 feet, is famous for wildflower meadows in summer and for deep snow, averaging around 640 inches a year.

The cameras on this page are part of the USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory network, viewed through the AshCam system, along with partner cameras. CVO uses them to watch for steam, ash and fresh debris flows, and to check the weather on the mountain when other instruments signal something. The main hazard here is not lava but lahars: fast mudflows of melted snow, ice and loose rock that can race down river valleys. The Osceola Mudflow about 5,000 years ago reached what is now the Puget Sound lowland, and towns such as Orting now have lahar warning systems and evacuation routes. USGS alerts follow the Normal, Advisory, Watch and Warning levels, with an aviation color code from Green to Red. As of early October 2026, Mount Rainier was at Normal/Green.

When to look

The park keeps Pacific Time (UTC-8, UTC-7 in summer). Locals say the mountain is out when the summit shows, which happens most often from July through September. In the wet season from October to spring, clouds can hide the peak for a week at a time, and snow often covers the lower camera views. Clear evenings can bring alpenglow on the upper glaciers, and wildflowers at Paradise usually peak from late July into August.

Nearby on our map, Mount St. Helens lies about 50 miles to the southwest, with its own CVO cameras and the story of 1980.

Sources: Mount Rainier - Wikipedia · Mount Rainier - USGS · Volcanoes - Mount Rainier National Park (NPS) · USGS Volcano Updates.