Unicorn Peak (Olympic Mountains)

Last updated
Unicorn Peak
Unicorn Peak, Olympic National Park.jpg
South aspect, as viewed from Hurricane Hill
Highest point
Elevation 5,100 ft (1,554 m) [1]
Prominence 650 ft (200 m) [2]
Parent peak Hurricane Hill (5,757 ft) [2]
Isolation 1.47 mi (2.37 km) [2]
Coordinates 48°00′39″N123°31′20″W / 48.0109463°N 123.5222673°W / 48.0109463; -123.5222673 [3]
Geography
USA Washington relief location map.jpg
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Unicorn Peak
Location of Unicorn Peak in Washington
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Unicorn Peak
Unicorn Peak (the United States)
CountryUnited States
State Washington
County Clallam
Protected area Olympic National Park
Parent range Olympic Mountains
Topo map USGS Elwha
Geology
Age of rock Eocene
Climbing
Easiest route class 3 scrambling [1]

Unicorn Peak is a 5,100-foot-elevation (1,554-meter) mountain summit located within Olympic National Park in Clallam County of Washington state. [1] Unicorn Peak is situated seven miles southwest of Port Angeles and three miles north-northwest of the park's Hurricane Ridge visitor center, in Daniel J. Evans Wilderness. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains west to the Elwha River via Little River and Griff Creek. Topographic relief is significant as the west aspect rises 4,800 feet (1,463 meters) above the Elwha valley in approximately three miles.

Contents

History

This landform has also been called "Unicorn Peaks", [3] and "The Pinchers", [4] as in crab pinchers. This refers to the appearance of the summit and a 5,050-foot-elevation peak on the peak's northeast aspect, which is known as "Unicorn Horn". [4] Klallam legend has it that during a great flood, canoes were tied to the mountaintop which broke off leaving only the two peaks, and the canoes and people in them floated to where Seattle is located. [4]

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Unicorn Peak is located in the marine west coast climate zone of western North America. [5] Weather fronts originating in the Pacific Ocean travel northeast toward the Olympic Mountains. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks (orographic lift), causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snow. As a result, the Olympics experience high precipitation, especially during the winter months in the form of snowfall. [6] Because of maritime influence, snow tends to be wet and heavy, resulting in avalanche danger. During winter months weather is usually cloudy, but due to high pressure systems over the Pacific Ocean that intensify during summer months, there is often little or no cloud cover during the summer. [6] The months of May through September offer the most favorable weather for viewing or climbing this peak. [1]

Geology

The Olympic Mountains are composed of obducted clastic wedge material and oceanic crust, primarily Eocene sandstone, turbidite, and basaltic oceanic crust. [7] The mountains were sculpted during the Pleistocene era by erosion and glaciers advancing and retreating multiple times.

See also

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Dodger Point is a 5,760-foot (1,756-metre) mountain summit located within Olympic National Park in Jefferson County of Washington state.

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Maiden Peak is a 6,434-foot (1,961 m) summit located in Olympic National Park, in Clallam County of Washington state. It is part of the Olympic Mountains and is situated near the eastern end of Hurricane Ridge within the Daniel J. Evans Wilderness. The nearest higher neighbor is Elk Mountain, 1.62 mi (2.61 km) to the west-southwest, and Blue Mountain is set 3.14 mi (5.05 km) to the east-northeast. The peak is set approximately midway along the trail which connects Deer Park and Obstruction Point. Precipitation runoff from the south slope of the mountain drains into Grand Creek, whereas the north slope is drained by Maiden Creek, and all ultimately reaches the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 3,000 feet (910 m) above Grand Creek in one mile. This landform's name was officially adopted in 1961 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. One story has the origin of the name being derived from nearby Maiden Lake where young men and women camped around 1913, and the other being from a group of hikers that passed this area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurricane Hill</span> Mountain in Washington (state), United States

Hurricane Hill is a 5,757-foot (1,755 m) mountain summit located within Olympic National Park in Clallam County of Washington state. It is part of the Olympic Mountains and is situated at the western end of Hurricane Ridge within the Daniel J. Evans Wilderness. Hurricane Hill is nine miles south-southwest of Port Angeles and two miles northwest of the park's Hurricane Ridge Visitor Center. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains to the Elwha River via various tributaries. Topographic relief is significant as the southwest aspect rises 5,100 feet (1,600 m) above the Elwha Valley in three miles.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Unicorn Peak, climbersguideolympics.com
  2. 1 2 3 "Unicorn Peak - 5,125' WA". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2021-12-29.
  3. 1 2 "Unicorn Peak". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved 2021-12-29.
  4. 1 2 3 Parratt, Smitty (1984). Gods and Goblins: A Field Guide to Place Names of Olympic National Park (1st ed.).
  5. Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11: 1633–1644. ISSN   1027-5606.
  6. 1 2 McNulty, Tim (2009). Olympic National Park: A Natural History. Seattle, Washington: University of Washington Press.
  7. Alt, D.D.; Hyndman, D.W. (1984). Roadside Geology of Washington. pp. 249–259. ISBN   0-87842-160-2.