Tolmie Peak is a 5940 ft (1,811 m) peak in the Mount Rainier

Mount Rainier

Mount Rainier is a massive stratovolcano located southeast of Seattle in the state of Washington, United States. It is the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States and the Cascade Volcanic Arc, with a summit elevation of . Mt. Rainier is considered one of the most...

 area of the Cascade Range

Cascade Range

The Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...

, in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Washington. It is located 2 miles (3.2 km) northwest of Mowich Lake

Mowich Lake

Mowich Lake is a lake located in the northwestern corner of Mount Rainier National Park in Washington State at an elevation of . The name "Mowich" derives from the Chinook jargon word for deer....

, in the northwest part of Mount Rainier National Park

Mount Rainier National Park

Mount Rainier National Park is a United States National Park located in southeast Pierce County and northeast Lewis County in Washington state. It was one of the US's earliest National Parks, having been established on March 2, 1899 as the fifth national park in the United States. The park contains...

.

Streams that drain the slopes of Tolmie Peak, including Tolmie Creek and Ranger Creek, join the Carbon River

Carbon River

The Carbon River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington. It flows about 30 miles from its source, the Carbon Glacier on Mount Rainier, to join the Puyallup River at Orting....

, which flows into the Puyallup River

Puyallup River

The Puyallup River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington. About long, it is formed by glaciers on the west side of Mount Rainier. It flows generally northwest, emptying into Commencement Bay, part of Puget Sound...

 and Puget Sound

Puget Sound

Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...

. Just south of Tolmie Peak, in a basin carved by glaciers, lies Eunice Lake. To the northwest is Howard Peak.

Tolmie Peak is named for William Fraser Tolmie

William Fraser Tolmie

William Fraser Tolmie was a Canadian surgeon, fur trader, scientist, and politician....

. In August 1833, employed by Hudson's Bay Company

Hudson's Bay Company

The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...

 and stationed at the newly built Fort Nisqually

Fort Nisqually

Fort Nisqually was an important fur trading and farming post of the Hudson's Bay Company in the Puget Sound area of what is now DuPont, Washington and was part of the Hudson's Bay Company's Columbia Department. Today it is a living history museum located in Tacoma, Washington, USA, within the...

, Tolmie made the first recorded exploration of the Mount Rainier area. Unable to summit Rainier itself, Tolmie and two Indian guides, Lachalet and Nuckalkat, summited one of the snowy peaks near the Mowich River

Mowich River

The Mowich River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington. Its watershed drains a portion of the western side of Mount Rainier, part of the Cascade Range. The river has two main headwater branches, the South Mowich River and the North Mowich River. The South Mowich is significantly larger and...

headwaters. Although Tolmie Peak is named for this event, it is not known exactly which peak was climbed.