The geography of the North Cascades describes a range of rugged mountains in British Columbia, Canada and Washington, United States. In Canada, the range is officially named the Cascade Mountains but is commonly referred to as the Canadian Cascades.
The Fraser River and Similkameen River in British Columbia form the northern boundary of the North Cascades. On the east, the Okanogan River and the Columbia River bound the range. On the west within the United States, the foothills of the range are separated by a narrow coastal plain from Puget Sound, whereas in Canada there are few if any foothills and the range drops steeply to the floodplain of the Fraser Lowland.
The southern boundary of the North Cascades is less definite. For the purposes of this article, it will be taken as US Highway 2, running over Stevens Pass, or equivalently, the Skykomish River, Nason Creek, and the lower Wenatchee River. This roughly follows Beckey's division. [1] : 17 Sometimes the southern boundary is defined by Snoqualmie Pass and the approximate route of Interstate 90. [2]
There are various formally named subranges, and some informally named ones. Formally named subranges include the:
Informally named ranges include the Coquihalla Range, which lies between the Coquihalla River and the Fraser Canyon south of an imaginary line roughly connecting Coquihalla Pass with the town of Boston Bar. The Coquihalla Range includes a group of horn-like summits known as the Anderson River Group, also known as the Llamoid Group due to conferred names such as Vicuna Peak, Yak Peak, Guanaco Peak, etc.
The North Cascades include various protected areas. Chief among the areas in Washington is North Cascades National Park, occupying much of the area between Mount Baker and the Cascade divide. Contiguous with the Park are Ross Lake National Recreation Area and Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. Designated wilderness areas in the range include:
In British Columbia, protected areas include
The following North Cascades peaks are notable for their height (absolute elevation):
| Mountain | Height | Coordinates | Prominence | Parent mountain | First ascent | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (ft) | (m) | (ft) | (m) | ||||
| Mount Baker | 10,778 | 3,285 | 48°46′N121°48′W / 48.767°N 121.800°W | 8,881 | 2,707 | Mount Rainier | 1868 by Edmund T. Coleman and party |
| Glacier Peak | 10,541 | 3,213 | 48°6′45.05″N121°6′49.70″W / 48.1125139°N 121.1138056°W | 7,501 | 2,286 | Mount Rainier | 1898 by Thomas Gerdine |
| Bonanza Peak | 9,511 | 2,899 | 48°14′16″N120°51′58″W / 48.23778°N 120.86611°W | 3,711 | 1,131 | Glacier Peak | 1937 by Curtis James, Barrie James, Joe Leuthold |
| Mount Fernow | 9,249 | 2,819 | 48°09′44″N120°48′30″W / 48.16222°N 120.80833°W | 2,809 | 856 | Bonanza Peak | 1932 by Oscar Pennington, Hermann Ulrichs |
| Goode Mountain | 9,220 | 2,810 | 48°28′58″N120°54′39″W / 48.48278°N 120.91083°W | 3,800 | 1,200 | Bonanza Peak | 1936 by Wolf Bauer, Philip Dickett, Joe Halwax, Jack Hossack, George MacGowan |
(The above table uses a topographic prominence cutoff of 1,000 feet (300 m), in order to list only highly independent peaks.)
The following peaks are notable for their topographic prominence:
| Mountain | Height | Prominence | Parent mountain | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (ft) | (m) | (ft) | (m) | ||
| Mount Baker | 10,778 | 3,285 | 8,881 | 2,707 | Mount Rainier |
| Glacier Peak | 10,541 | 3,213 | 7,501 | 2,286 | Mount Rainier |
| Round Mountain | 5,320 | 1,620 | 4,780 | 1,460 | Mount Baker |
| Mount Spickard | 8,979 | 2,737 | 4,779 | 1,457 | Mount Baker |
| Welch Peak | 7,976 | 2,431 | 4,728 | 1,441 | Robinson Mountain |
| Three Fingers | 6,850 | 2,090 | 4,490 | 1,370 | Glacier Peak |
| Mount Shuksan [3] | 9,131 | 2,783 | 4,411 | 1,344 | Mount Baker |
| Remmel Mountain | 8,684 | 2,647 | 4,370 | 1,330 | Mount Lago |
| Mount Prophet | 7,650 | 2,330 | 4,080 | 1,240 | Three Fingers |
| Mount Outram | 8,074 | 2,461 | 3,678 | 1,121 | Hozomeen Mountain |
| Mount Lago | 8,743 | 2,665 | 3,300 | 1,000 | Silver Star Mountain |
The following peaks are notable for their large, steep rise above local terrain. Peaks are listed in descending order by elevation.
| Mountain | Height | |
|---|---|---|
| (ft) | (m) | |
| Mount Baker | 10,778 | 3,285 |
| Glacier Peak | 10,541 | 3,213 |
| Goode Mountain | 9,220 | 2,810 |
| Mount Shuksan | 9,127 | 2,782 |
| Jack Mountain | 9,066 | 2,763 |
| North Gardner Mountain | 8,956 | 2,730 |
| Mount Redoubt | 8,956 | 2,730 |
| Eldorado Peak | 8,876 | 2,705 |
| Luna Peak | 8,311 | 2,533 |
| Johannesburg Mountain | 8,220 | 2,510 |
| Agnes Mountain | 8,115 | 2,473 |
| Hozomeen Mountain | 8,066 | 2,459 |
| Slesse Mountain | 8,002 | 2,439 |
| American Border Peak | 7,994 | 2,437 |
| Mount Blum | 7,680 | 2,340 |
| Sloan Peak | 7,835 | 2,388 |
| Colonial Peak | 7,771 | 2,369 |
| Mount Triumph | 7,270 | 2,220 |
| Pugh Mountain | 7,201 | 2,195 |
| Davis Peak | 7,051 | 2,149 |
| Whitehorse Mountain | 6,850 | 2,090 |
| Baring Mountain | 6,125 | 1,867 |
The North Cascades are known for having many extremely tall glacial-fed waterfalls; the ten highest measured waterfalls are listed.
[4] Many tall waterfalls occur where meltwater from mountain glaciers drop down a headwall, which are common occurrences in the North Cascades. Many waterfalls, despite their great height, are non-notable as they are not clearly visible and often have low volume. Seahpo Peak Falls, despite its great height at nearly 2,200 feet (670 m), is an example of one of these waterfalls. A few notable exceptions do occur; Sulphide Creek Falls occurs where meltwaters from two of the largest Mount Shuksan glaciers are forced through a narrow chute over a 2,183-foot (665 m) headwall at the head of Sulphide Valley.
Geographical features in the area of the North Cascades National Park can be found in this image map:
North Cascades National Park is an American national park in the state of Washington. At more than 500,000 acres (200,000 ha), it is the largest of the three National Park Service units that comprise the North Cascades National Park Complex. North Cascades National Park consists of a northern and southern section, bisected by the Skagit River that flows through the reservoirs of Ross Lake National Recreation Area. Lake Chelan National Recreation Area lies on the southern border of the south unit of the park. In addition to the two national recreation areas, other protected lands including several national forests and wilderness areas, as well as Canadian provincial parks in British Columbia, nearly surround the park. North Cascades National Park features the rugged mountain peaks of the North Cascades Range, the most expansive glacial system in the contiguous United States, the headwaters of numerous waterways, and vast forests with the highest degree of flora biodiversity of any American national park.
The Cascade Range or Cascades 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. The small part of the range in British Columbia is referred to as the Canadian Cascades or, locally, as the Cascade Mountains. The latter term is also sometimes used by Washington residents to refer to the Washington section of the Cascades in addition to North Cascades, the more usual U.S. term, as in North Cascades National Park. The highest peak in the range is Mount Rainier in Washington at 14,411 feet (4,392 m).
The North Cascades are a section of the Cascade Range of western North America. They span the border between the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. state of Washington and are officially named in the U.S. and Canada as the Cascade Mountains. The portion in Canada is known to Americans as the Canadian Cascades, a designation that also includes the mountains above the east bank of the Fraser Canyon as far north as the town of Lytton, at the confluence of the Thompson and Fraser Rivers.
The Picket Range is a small, extremely rugged subrange of the North Cascades in the northwestern part of the American state of Washington. It is entirely contained within North Cascades National Park. It is about 6 miles (9.7 km) long, running northwest–southeast, and lies north of the Skagit River, west of Ross Lake, and east of Mounts Baker and Shuksan. There are at least 21 peaks in the range over 7,500 ft (2,300 m) high.
Blum Basin Falls is a waterfall in Whatcom County, in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located in North Cascades National Park on the headwaters of Blum Creek, a tributary of the Baker River. Fed by two small retreating glaciers and several snowfields on the southern side of Mount Blum, the waterfall is formed by the largest meltwater stream that feeds the mainstem of Blum Creek. The falls tumble 1,680 feet (510 m) down a high glacial headwall several miles within the national park in two distinct stages; the first is a series of slides over rounded rock, above the tree line, and the second is a series of near-vertical plunges to the forested valley below. Although most of the falls is clearly visible, parts of it are obscured by tall pines that grow at its base. There is no trail leading to the waterfall.
The Hozameen Range is a mountain range in southwestern British Columbia and northern Washington, straddling the division between the Coast and Interior regions of that province. It is a subrange of the North Cascades and is neighboured on the east by the Okanagan Range and on the northwest by the unofficially-named Coquihalla Range, which lies between that river and the Fraser. In the northwest part of the range is the one named subrange, the Bedded Range.
The Skagit Range is a subrange of the Cascade Range in southwestern British Columbia, Canada and northwestern Washington, United States, which are known in Canada as the Canadian Cascades or, officially, the Cascade Mountains. The Skagit Range lies to the west of the Skagit River and east and north of the Chilliwack River and flanks the Upper Fraser Valley region of British Columbia's Lower Mainland.
Mount Blum, or Mount Bald, is a 7,685-foot (2,342 m) summit of the North Cascades range in Washington state, on the western edge of North Cascades National Park. It is the highest summit of a string of mountain peaks located east of Mount Shuksan and west of the Picket Range. Two small active glaciers rest on its northern flank. Mount Blum was named after John Blum, a United States Forest Service fire patrol pilot who crashed nearby in 1931.
Sulphide Creek is a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) glacial tributary of the Baker River in Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington, draining a steep and narrow canyon on the southeast flank of Mount Shuksan, inside North Cascades National Park. Although called a creek, it is river-like due to its high volume. The creek is fed by the "massive" Sulphide and Crystal glaciers above Sulphide Lake and it runs east collecting several small tributaries before flowing into the Baker River at elevation 869 feet (265 m). There are several very tall waterfalls occurring on the creek and its tributaries, the largest of which is Sulphide Creek Falls.
Buckner Mountain is a tall peak in the North Cascades of Washington state and in the Stephen Mather Wilderness of North Cascades National Park. At 9,114 feet (2,778 m) in elevation it is the highest in Skagit County and one of about ten of Washington's non-volcanic peaks above 9,000 feet high. It is ranked as the 14th highest peak in the state, and the third highest peak in North Cascades National Park.
Mount Redoubt is a mountain in the North Cascades range in Whatcom County, Washington state. The peak is located 3.0 miles (5 km) from the Canada–US border, 16.3 miles (26 km) east-northeast of Mount Shuksan. It is the 21st highest peak in the state, with a height of 8,956 feet (2,730 m) and a prominence of 1,649 feet (503 m). Redoubt is in the Skagit Range, a sub-range of the North Cascades, in the Custer-Chilliwack Group which includes Mount Spickard, Mount Redoubt, Mount Custer and Mox Peaks, among others. Redoubt, Bear, and Depot creeks drain off the mountain, which is composed of Skagit gneiss. Mount Redoubt is listed as one of the "Classic Eight Peaks" in the North Cascades.
Mount Spickard is a 8,980-foot (2,740 m) mountain peak in the North Cascades, a mountain range in the U.S. state of Washington. Located 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the Canada–US border, it is part of the Chilliwack Group, a subrange of the Skagit Range which is part of the North Cascades. It is composed mainly of gneiss and is part of two major drainage basins: that of the Skagit River and Fraser River.
Seahpo Peak is a subsidiary peak of Mount Shuksan, which rises in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located about 2 miles (3.2 km) east of the main peak of Shuksan and rises to about 7,441 feet (2,268 m). It is located in North Cascades National Park and is part of the North Cascades range.
Sulphide Glacier is in North Cascades National Park in the U.S. state of Washington, on the south slopes of Mount Shuksan. Descending 1.85 mi (2.98 km) from the summit tower of Mount Shuksan, it is connected to Crystal Glacier to the east. Sulphide Glacier descends from 8,600 to 5,600 ft. Sulphide Glacier is along the route taken when Mount Shuksan was first climbed in 1906. Both Sulphide and Crystal Glaciers have a series of 300-to-1,000-foot high cascades which are collectively referred to as Sulphide Basin Falls. Below these cascades lies Sulphide Lake, which empties over Sulphide Creek Falls, one of the highest waterfalls in North America with a nearly 2,200 ft (670 m) drop.
Mount Larrabee is a 7,865-foot (2,397-metre) Skagit Range mountain summit situated 1.4 mile south of the Canada–United States border, in the North Cascades of Washington state. It is located immediately southeast of American Border Peak within the Mount Baker Wilderness, which is part of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, and near North Cascades National Park. It is notable for its reddish coloring caused by oxidation of Iron in the rock. The rock consists of reddish interbedded and interfolded phyllites and greenstone. Originally known as Red Mountain, the name was changed in 1951 to honor Charles F. Larrabee (1895–1950), of the prominent Larrabee family of Bellingham, Washington. The name was officially adopted in 1951 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.
Ruth Mountain is a 7,115 ft (2,170 m) Skagit Range summit located two miles south of Hannegan Pass in the North Cascades of Washington state. The name honors Ruth Cleveland, daughter of President Grover Cleveland. This mountain's name was officially adopted in 1952 by the United States Board on Geographic Names. Ruth Mountain is situated on the shared border of North Cascades National Park and the Mount Baker Wilderness, which is part of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. The summit offers views of Mount Shuksan, East Nooksack Glacier, Seahpo Peak, Nooksack Tower, Icy Peak, Mount Sefrit, Mineral Mountain, and the Picket Range. The melting and receding Ruth Glacier on the north slope of Ruth creates the headwaters for the Chilliwack River. Precipitation runoff also finds its way into the Nooksack and Baker Rivers.
Mix-up Peak, also known as Mixup Peak, is a 7,440-foot (2,270-metre) mountain summit located on the shared boundary of Skagit County and Chelan County in Washington state. It is part of the North Cascades Range and is situated one mile south of Cascade Pass on the shared border of North Cascades National Park and Glacier Peak Wilderness. The nearest higher peak is Magic Mountain, 1.02 miles (1.64 km) to the east-southeast. Mix-up Peak is at the northern end of the Ptarmigan Traverse which is an alpine route to remote mountains such as Mount Formidable and Dome Peak. The Cache Glacier occupies a cirque below its eastern flank. Surface runoff on the east side the mountain drains into the Stehekin River, whereas precipitation runoff drains into the Cascade River from the west side.
Table Mountain is a Skagit Range summit located west of Mount Shuksan and northeast of Mount Baker in the North Cascades of Washington state. It is situated in the Mount Baker Wilderness, which is managed by the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Table Mountain is located west of Artist Point, at the end of the Mount Baker Highway. From the Artist Point parking lot, a short 1.4 mile trail leads to the summit at the west end of the mountain. The summit offers views of Mount Shuksan, Mount Baker, Mount Hermann, and Mount Larrabee. Remnants of the Table Mountain Glacier are on the northeast slope. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Skagit and Nooksack Rivers.
Hurry-up Peak is a 7,821-foot-elevation summit located on the shared boundary of Skagit County and Chelan County in Washington state. It is positioned on the crest of the North Cascades Range, and is set at the northern end of the Ptarmigan Traverse. Hurry-up Peak is situated southeast of Cascade Pass on the shared border of North Cascades National Park and Glacier Peak Wilderness. The nearest higher peak is Spider Mountain, 1.49 miles (2.40 km) to the south, with Magic Mountain 0.83 miles (1.34 km) to the north, and Trapper Mountain 0.7 miles (1.1 km) to the east. The S Glacier rests on the eastern flank of the peak and meltwater from it drains into Trapper Lake. Precipitation runoff on the east side the mountain drains into tributaries of the Stehekin River, while precipitation drains into the Cascade River from the west side. Ess Mountain and S Mountain are variant names for Hurry-up Peak. This geographical feature's name was officially adopted in 1969 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.