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Mount Rainier is a stratovolcano in Pierce County, Washington, located southeast of Seattle, Washington, in the United States. It is part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc and is the highest peak in the Cascade Range at . The mountain and the surrounding area are protected within Mount Rainier National Park. With 26 major glaciers, Mount Rainier is the most heavily glaciated peak in the lower 48 states with of permanent snowfields and glaciers. The summit is topped by two volcanic craters, each over in diameter with the larger east crater overlapping the west crater. Geothermal heat from the volcano keeps areas of both crater rims free of snow and ice, and has formed an extensive network of glacier caves within the ice-filled craters. A small crater lake, the highest in North America, occupies the lowest portion of the west crater below more than 160 ft (50 m) of ice and is accessible only via the caves.