Mount St. Helens or Mount Rainier???

I've never been to Mount Rainier, but have been to Mount St. Helens and it was amazing. You can get pretty close and there's still alot of destruction that's visible.
We drove down from Seattle and were really worried that we wouldn't be able to see anything because the weather in Seattle was not good. But by the time we got down there it was breathtaking.

I'm sure whichever you decide will be wonderful.
Have fun!

 

Grew up with Mount Rainier, quite literally, in my backyard. Never really appreciated it until a guy I worked with moved out here from Boston and was constantly babbling about how amazing it was. Having been out and about a good deal more now, I understand the draw. It's pretty damn majestic, especially when compared to other things that pass for mountains in this country.

St. Helens is more of a curiosity ... a smoldering hole, if you will. It all depends on what you want. If you want scenery, Rainier is it. If you want antiquity, St. Helens is good for that. Also agree on Hood. Beautiful mountain and close to Portland, though I'd have to disagree on the Hood over Rainier thing, but perhaps I am biased.

The place to go on Rainier is Paradise, which is really easy to access and leads up to a mess of hiking trails. Another place worth seeing is Hurricane Ridge out on the Olympics.

 

As far as Mount Rainier views go, I always liked the one from the 520 bridge on a clear day. Absolutely stunning to see it rise above Lake Washington.

 

You can't go wrong with any of them. And Mount Adams, though a little more out of the way and harder to get to, is nice, too.
I'm in the Midwest, where I grew up, but I'll be back in the PNW before it's all said and done. Too beautiful to stay away forever.

 

I did both last year -- Mt. St. Helens and Mount Rainier -- for the first time. It may depend on your point of view. Driving to Mount St. Helens and see it from the visitors center and from a helicopter was absolutely spectacular. Mrs. Lane and I both thought it was the highlight of a fine week. If you are hiking, though, Rainier looked like it was much more interesting. You can't get too close to St. Helens, and the interesting part of the St. Helens area is still wiped out.

By the way, Olympic National Park is interesting too -- snow-covered peaks and rain forests within a few miles of each other.