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1978 Map of Mount Rainier

Name: 1978 Topographic Map of Mount Rainier
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1978
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1978

About this map

Mount Rainier dominates this 1978 topographic study, its glacial system radiating across the Mount Rainier National Park boundary toward the surrounding wilderness. The map captures the rugged interior of the southern Cascades during a period of established federal management, showcasing the vast Gifford Pinchot National Forest and Snoqualmie National Forest lands. Settlement is concentrated in the river valleys to the south and east, notably at Packwood and Randle along the Cowlitz River, where the Packwood Landing Strip suggests the importance of air access in this isolated terrain.

Water management and recreation are central to the landscape, evidenced by major reservoirs like Rimrock Lake and Bumping Lake. These features, along with the Goat Rocks Wilderness, illustrate the region's dual role as a resource provider and a primitive recreational destination. The survey details the high-altitude divide separating the drainage basins of the Nisqually River and the Tieton River, providing an essential record of the area's geological and human geography in the late 1970s.