Upper Nisqually Valley

The Nisqually Valley has long been a transportation route, a source of livelihood for its residents, and a source of beauty for its visitors. Before settlement, a system of trails through the valley gave Native Americans access to rich hunting and fishing, as well as access to a larger, cross-mountain trail system and places of spiritual significance. The first settlers entered the valley in the 1860s. Not long after, the first tourist arrived in Mount Rainier. The first recorded ascent of the m