#cushman crest

[mountrainiernps]

When driving the road up to Paradise, you may notice the narrow, forested ridge of rock pictured here rising above the Nisqually River Valley on the southern slopes of Mount Rainier. This ridge is called Cushman Crest and is an example of an arête. These narrow ridges of rock are created by two glaciers carving neighboring valleys. The glaciers are gone, but the ridge remains. Mount Rainier was once covered by much larger, Ice Age glaciers. Can you imagine these valleys filled with thousands of feet of ice? Another good place to view Cushman Crest is from Ricksecker Point during the summer.

NPS Photo of Cushman Crest, 10/16/24.

[mountrainiernps]

Mount Rainier National Park Archives Photo courtesy Richardson Paul Album of the Paradise Road near Ricksecker Point circa 1910.

Between Longmire and Paradise is a short one-way scenic road called Ricksecker Point Road. First built from 1904-1915, this part of the road is an older section of the Nisqually-Paradise Road and was considered one of the most dangerous stretches. It was narrow, bordered by steep cliffs, and prone to rockfall. Over the years the road was widened, resurfaced, and parking was included at viewpoints. A detour constructed in the 1930s replaced the original route and became the main Paradise Road, while Ricksecker Point Road was left as a scenic bypass. Ricksecker Point is named for Eugene Ricksecker, an Army Corps of Engineers supervisor who surveyed the route to Paradise in 1904. The survey team originally named the feature “Gap Point”, but it was renamed after a road was constructed in 1909.

Ricksecker Point Road, also called Ricksecker Overlook, is a contributing structure in the Mount Rainier Historic Landmark District. Have you driven or stopped along this scenic road during the summer?

NPS Photo from Ricksecker Point Road in 2018. The forested, rocky ridge in front of Mount Rainier in both photos is called Cushman Crest.

[mountrainiernps]

Landscape Language Monochrome (noun) – a single color; black-and-white In summer, Mount Rainier is famous for its colorful wildflower meadows. In winter, the mountain is a little more monochrome. Grey skies and snow can make the mountain look black-and-white, no color correction needed. However, a monochrome color palette only makes the peaks, ridges, and deep valleys of Mount Rainier more dramatic.  What do you prefer – colorful summer or dramatic winter?

NPS Photo, 12/14/16.  Dark forest covers a ridge below a white, snow-capped mountain peak against a grey sky. ~kl