Mount Adams stands east of Mount St. Helens and about south of Mount Rainier. It is north of the Columbia River and north of Mount Hood in Oregon. The nearest major cities are Yakima, to the northeast, and the Portland metropolitan area, to the southwest. Between half and two thirds of Adams is within the Mount Adams Wilderness of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The remaining area is within the Mount Adams Recreation Area of the Yakama Indian Reservation. While many of the volcanic peaks in Oregon are located on the Cascade Crest, Adams is the only active volcano in Washington to do so. It is farther east than all the rest of Washington's volcanoes except Glacier Peak.