Nisqually Glacier

The Nisqually Glacier is one of the larger glaciers on the southwestern face of Mount Rainier in the U.S. state of Washington. The glacier is one of the most easily viewed on the mountain, and is accessible from the Paradise visitor facilities in Mount Rainier National Park. The glacier has had periods of advance and retreat since 1850 when it was much more extensivs. It is currently retreating. Measurements made at altitude show that glacier got 56ft thicker between 1994 and 1997, suggesting that it will probably begin advancing in the first decade of the 21st century. Nisqually Glacier is the source of the Nisqually River.Perhaps the longest studied glacier on Mount Rainier, Nisqually's terminal point has been measured annually since 1918. In May 1970, the glacier was measured to be moving at an average of per day.DevelopmentNisqually Glacier has advanced and retreated three times during the end of the 20th Century. The recent retreat began in 1985. In the next six years, the glacier thinned by 52ft west of Glacier Vista.The glacier reached its greatest extent by 1850, when many of the glaciers reached their furthest extent down valley. The 1850’s is considered the Little Ice Age. Nisqually Glacier reached 650to feet below the Glacier Bridge. On the west, Tahoma and South Tahoma Glaciers joined below Glacier Island along the Wonderland Trail. Emmons Glacier on the northeast reached within 1.2mile of the White River Campground.