Mount Rainier and Liberty Cap Elevation Survey 2025
Eric Gilbertson, Larry Signani, Branden Joy, Daniel McGrath, Darin Loucks, Ethan O'Connor, Shannon Cheng, Scott Hotaling

TL;DR
This study updates Mount Rainier's summit elevation and icecap status, revealing significant melting trends and predicting future changes to the mountain's highest point based on recent measurements and ice melt rates.
Contribution
The paper provides the first detailed 2025 elevation and ice thickness measurements of Mount Rainier's summit and icecaps, and models future melting to predict when peaks will lose their ice cover.
Findings
Columbia Crest is no longer the highest point on Mount Rainier.
Liberty Cap will lose its ice cap by 2041 and melt to bedrock by 2047.
Recent melt rates are approximately -0.27 m/year for Columbia Crest and -0.49 m/year for Liberty Cap.
Abstract
In 2024, we discovered that Columbia Crest, the historical summit of Mount Rainier, was no longer the highest point on the mountain. Instead, a point 133 m (436 ft) to the south along the southwest rim (SW Rim) was determined to be the new highest point on Mount Rainier. The Columbia Crest icecap melted down 6.64 m (21.8 ft) since 1998. A nearby peak, Liberty Cap, melted down 8.02 m (26.3 ft) since 2007. For this report, updated elevation measurements were taken in late summer 2025 of Columbia Crest and Liberty Cap. Columbia Crest melted an additional 0.37 m (1.2 ft) and Liberty Cap melted 0.67 m (2.2 ft) over the last year. To understand how Mount Rainier's summit may continue to evolve, we used ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to measure the thickness of the Columbia Crest icecap and Liberty Cap. As of 2025, ice is approximately 2 m - 5 m (6.6 ft - 16.5 ft) thick near the summit of…
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Taxonomy
TopicsWater Quality and Resources Studies · Cryospheric studies and observations · Rangeland and Wildlife Management
