Mt. Rainier has lost its status as a year-round ice-capped peak, according to a new survey that shows the iconic mountain is shrinking—and its summit has even shifted location. The study, published in the journal Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research, finds that all five of the Lower 48's traditionally ice-capped mountains have lost elevation as permanent ice melts, with the bulk of the loss occurring since 1999, per ExplorersWeb. A team led by mountaineer and researcher Eric Gilbertson visited the five peaks in August 2024, using sophisticated GNSS equipment to measure their heights.
They found that Mt. Rainier's highest point is no longer the icy Columbia Crest, which measured 14,410 feet in 1956. That spot has shrunk to 14,390 feet, and the new summit is a nearby rocky outcrop that rises about nine feet higher. The study bluntly states that Rainier "is no longer an ice-capped summit." Researchers point to rising temperatures—up more than 3 degrees Celsius at the summit since the 1950s—as the main culprit.
Of the five Washington state peaks surveyed, only two—Rainier's Liberty Cap sub-peak and Mt. Baker's Colfax Peak—retain their icy hats. El Dorado Peak and East Fury have lost theirs entirely, along with several yards of elevation. The study notes that these changes are accelerating, with increasingly exposed rock and shifting summit locations likely to fuel future debates over mountaineering records. The researchers warn that the loss of ice is not only a blow to alpinists, but a clear sign of the ongoing effects of climate change in the region. The average temperature across all five peaks is more than 5 degrees higher than in the 1950s, KVNU reports.
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