Sheep Mountain | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Elevation | 6,166 ft (1,879 m) [1] |
Prominence | 1,126 ft (343 m) [1] |
Isolation | 1.92 mi (3.09 km) [2] |
Coordinates | 48°01′30″N121°25′05″W / 48.024873°N 121.418144°W [1] |
Geography | |
Country | United States |
State | Washington |
County | Snohomish |
Protected area | Henry M. Jackson Wilderness |
Parent range | Cascade Range |
Topo map | USGS Bedal |
Climbing | |
Easiest route | Scrambling |
Sheep Mountain is a 6,166-foot-elevation (1,879-meter) summit near the western edge of the North Cascades, in Snohomish County of Washington state. [3] It is located one mile east of Barlow Pass along the Mountain Loop Highway near the Monte Cristo area. It is situated on land administered by the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Back in the old mining days of the late 1800s, the long sub-range stretching from Cadet Peak to Sheep Mountain was known as Pride of the Mountains Range. [4] Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Sauk River.
Sheep Mountain is located in the marine west coast climate zone of western North America. [4] Most weather fronts originating in the Pacific Ocean travel northeast toward the Cascade Mountains. As fronts approach the North Cascades, they are forced upward by the peaks of the Cascade Range (orographic lift), causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the Cascades. As a result, the west side of the North Cascades experiences high precipitation, especially during the winter months in the form of snowfall. [4] Because of maritime influence, snow tends to be wet and heavy, resulting in high avalanche danger. [4] 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. [4] Due to its temperate climate and proximity to the Pacific Ocean, areas west of the Cascade Crest very rarely experience temperatures below 0 °F (−18 °C) or above 80 °F (27 °C). [4] The months July through September offer the most favorable weather for viewing or climbing this peak.
The North Cascades features some of the most rugged topography in the Cascade Range with craggy peaks, ridges, and deep glacial valleys. Geological events occurring many years ago created the diverse topography and drastic elevation changes over the Cascade Range leading to the various climate differences. These climate differences lead to vegetation variety defining the ecoregions in this area.
The history of the formation of the Cascade Mountains dates back millions of years ago to the late Eocene Epoch. [5] With the North American Plate overriding the Pacific Plate, episodes of volcanic igneous activity persisted. [5] In addition, small fragments of the oceanic and continental lithosphere called terranes created the North Cascades about 50 million years ago. [5]
During the Pleistocene period dating back over two million years ago, glaciation advancing and retreating repeatedly scoured the landscape leaving deposits of rock debris. [5] The U-shaped cross section of the river valleys is a result of recent glaciation. Uplift and faulting in combination with glaciation have been the dominant processes which have created the tall peaks and deep valleys of the North Cascades area.
Columbia Peak is a mountain peak in the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness in the U.S. state of Washington. Columbia Peak rises to 7,172 feet (2,186 m). Together with Monte Cristo Peak and Kyes Peak it forms a basin that contains Columbia Glacier and Blanca Lake.
Graybeard Peak is a 7,965-foot (2,428-metre) mountain summit located in Skagit County, Washington.
Stillaguamish Peak is a 5,720+ ft mountain summit near the western edge of the North Cascades, in Snohomish County of Washington state. It is located five miles north-northwest of Barlow Pass near the Monte Cristo area, and is situated on land administered by the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. It rises 4,000 feet (1,200 m) above the Stillaguamish River and the Mountain Loop Highway.
The Needles is an 8,160-foot (2,487-metre) granite mountain located in Okanogan County in Washington state. It is part of the Okanogan Range which is a sub-range of the North Cascades Range. The Needles is situated on land administered by the Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest. Precipitation runoff from the peak drains into tributaries of the Methow River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 3,660 feet above Pine Creek in approximately 1.25 mile (2 km). The nearest higher neighbor is Tower Mountain, 2.26 miles (3.64 km) to the southwest.
Beebe Mountain is a 7,416-foot (2,260-metre) mountain summit located in the Cascade Range in the U.S. state of Washington. It is situated on the border of North Cascades National Park. Its nearest higher neighbor is Elija Ridge, 1.86 miles (2.99 km) to the southwest, and McKay Ridge is set 4 miles (6.4 km) to the northeast on the opposite side of the North Cascades Highway. The mountain's name honors Frank Beebe who worked for the Forest Service and maintained a cabin near the base of the mountain in the 1920s. Precipitation runoff on the mountain drains into Ross Lake via Granite Creek and Panther Creek.
Magic Mountain is a 7,610-foot (2,320-metre) mountain summit located on the shared boundary of Skagit County and Chelan County in Washington state. It is part of the North Cascades, a subset of the Cascade Range. Magic Mountain is situated southeast of Cascade Pass on the shared border of North Cascades National Park and Glacier Peak Wilderness. The nearest peak is Pelton Peak 0.4 miles (0.64 km) to the northeast, and the nearest higher peak is Hurry-up Peak 0.83 miles (1.34 km) to the south. The Yawning Glacier and Cache Col Glacier rest on its northern flank. Magic Mountain is at the northern end of the Ptarmigan Traverse. Surface runoff on the north side the mountain drains into the Stehekin River, while precipitation drains into the Cascade River from the southwest side.
Repulse Peak is a 7,923-foot (2,415-metre) mountain summit in the North Cascades in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located on the border of the Stephen Mather Wilderness and North Cascades National Park. It is situated midway between Black Peak and Fisher Peak, and can be seen from the North Cascades Highway. Precipitation runoff from Repulse Peak drains into tributaries of the Skagit River and Stehekin River. Topographic relief is significant as the east face rises over 2,900 feet in 0.53 mile (0.85 km).
Liberty Mountain is a prominent 5,680-foot-elevation (1,730 m) mountain summit located at the western edge of the North Cascades, in Snohomish County of Washington state. It is located 2.3 miles south of Three Fingers in the Boulder River Wilderness on land administered by the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. The mountain's name came from old miners in the Silverton area.
Holliway Mountain is an 8000+ ft granite summit located in Okanogan County in Washington state. It is part of the Okanogan Range which is a sub-range of the North Cascades Range. Holliway Mountain is situated near the headwaters of the Methow River on land administered by the Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest. The nearest higher peak is Golden Horn, 0.91 miles (1.46 km) to the south. Azurite Peak is located three miles to the north-northwest.
Round Mountain is a 5,369-foot mountain summit at the western edge of the North Cascades, in Skagit County of Washington state. It is located nine miles northwest of Darrington, Washington, and is situated on land administered by the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Round Mountain is remarkable for its 4,840 feet of prominence which ranks as the most in Skagit County, and eighth-most of all the mountains in Washington state. The nearest higher peak is Whitehorse Mountain, 7.85 miles (12.63 km) to the south-southeast. Precipitation runoff from Round Mountain drains into tributaries of the Stillaguamish River.
Cadet Peak is a 7,186 ft mountain summit near the western edge of the North Cascades, in Snohomish County of Washington state. The peak is located southeast of Barlow Pass along the Mountain Loop Highway, and two miles east of the historic Monte Cristo area. It is situated within the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness, on land administered by the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. The mountain was originally called Foggy Peak, for the Foggy Mine claim on the mountain's north slope, but the name was changed in 1896 to its present name, and the Foggy Peak name was transferred to the peak immediately northwest of Cadet. Back in the old mining days, the long sub-range stretching from Cadet Peak to Sheep Mountain was known as Pride of the Mountains Range. Cadet's nearest higher neighbor is Kyes Peak, 1.59 mi (2.56 km) to the south-southeast. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Sauk River.
Mineral Mountain is a 6,800-foot (2,100-metre) mountain summit in the Skagit Range of the North Cascades of Washington state. Mineral Mountain is situated in North Cascades National Park and the summit offers views of Mount Shuksan, Icy Peak, and the Picket Range. Easy Peak is set 2 mi (3.2 km) to the east, and the nearest higher neighbor is Ruth Mountain, 3.06 mi (4.92 km) to the west. Precipitation runoff from Mineral Mountain finds its way north into the Chilliwack River, and south into the Baker River.
Logger Butte is a 6,160-foot (1,878-metre) mountain summit near the western edge of the North Cascades, in Skagit County of Washington state. It is located north of Marblemount and Diobsud Buttes, on the shared boundary of North Cascades National Park and the Noisy-Diobsud Wilderness. The nearest higher peak is Electric Butte, 1.0 mi (1.6 km) to the north. Precipitation runoff from Logger Butte drains into tributaries of the Skagit River.
Mount Forgotten is a 6,005-foot-elevation (1,830-meter) mountain summit near the western edge of the North Cascades, in Snohomish County of Washington state. It is located five miles north of Barlow Pass along the Mountain Loop Highway near the Monte Cristo area and is situated on land administered by the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. The nearest higher peak is Mount Pugh, 4.22 mi (6.79 km) to the northeast. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Sauk River.
Sheep Mountain is an 8,274-foot (2,522-metre) mountain summit located in Okanogan County in Washington state. It is part of the Okanogan Range which is a sub-range of the North Cascades and Cascade Range. The mountain is situated less than 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the Canada–United States border, on the east side of the Cascade crest, in the Pasayten Wilderness, on land managed by the Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest. The nearest higher peak is Andrew Peak, 8.3 miles (13.4 km) to the east-southeast. The Pacific Northwest Trail traverses the slopes of Sheep Mountain as it crosses Peeve Pass. Precipitation runoff from Sheep Mountain drains west into Peeve Creek, or east into tributaries of Ashnola River. The mountain was so named because for 40 years the meadows surrounding it were prime grazing land for sheep in the summer, before the protection of wilderness designation.
Tiffany Mountain is an 8,245-foot (2,513-metre) mountain summit located in Okanogan County in Washington state. It is the highest point in the Tiffany Range, which is a sub-range of the Okanogan Range. The mountain is situated on the east side of the Cascade crest, on land managed by the Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest. The nearest higher peak is Windy Peak, 18 miles (29 km) to the north. Precipitation runoff from Tiffany Mountain drains into tributaries of the Columbia River.
Indecision Peak is a 7,945 ft (2,420 m) double-summit mountain located in the North Cascades in the U.S. state of Washington. It situated in North Cascades National Park, on the crest of the Cascade Range, on the shared border of Chelan County with Skagit County. Despite its position only 5 mi (8.0 km) west of the North Cascades Highway, it is not visible from any road. Its nearest higher neighbor is Mount Arriva, 0.92 mi (1.48 km) to the north. The first ascent of the summit was made August 2, 1972, by Bill Arundell, Frank King, Marilyn and Stan Jensen, and Joanne Williams. The lower northeast summit is known as Meulefire Peak (~7,930 ft), which is a portmanteau of Meulemans and Firey, the names of the first mountaineers to climb it in 1966.
Sherman Peak is an 8,204-foot (2,501-metre) mountain summit located in western Okanogan County in Washington state. It is part of the Okanogan Range which is a subset of the North Cascades. This remote mountain is on Isabella Ridge, 10.5 mi (16.9 km) north-northeast of Mazama, on land administered by the Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest. The nearest higher neighbor is Big Craggy Peak, 2 miles (3.2 km) to the north. Precipitation runoff from Sherman drains into tributaries of the Methow River.
Silvertip Peak is a 6,140-foot (1,870-metre) mountain summit located in the North Cascades, in Snohomish County of Washington state. It is situated 3.5 miles south of Barlow Pass along the Mountain Loop Highway, in the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness, on land managed by Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains north into tributaries of the Sauk River, or south into headwaters of Silver Creek which is a tributary of Skykomish River. Neighbors surrounding Silvertip include Gothic Peak, Del Campo Peak, Sheep Mountain, Cadet Peak, and Columbia Peak. Silver Lake and Poodle Dog Pass lie on the east flank of Silvertip, the Monte Cristo mining ghost town sits at the northeast base, and the Mineral City ghost town is at the southern foot of this peak. This peak was named in association with the nearby Silver Tip mining claim.
Mother Lode is a 7,905-foot-elevation (2,409-meter) mountain summit located in the North Cascades, in Okanogan County, Washington. It is situated in the Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness, on land managed by Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest. The mountain is part of the Methow Mountains, which are a subset of the Cascade Range, and the peak is approximately two miles east of the crest of the range. Mother Lode is set approximately six miles south of Washington Pass, and the nearest higher neighbor is Gilbert Mountain, three miles to the northeast. Topographic relief is significant as the north aspect rises 3,500 feet above the South Fork Twisp River in one mile. The peak was climbed in 1983 by Rick La Belle and Glen Sterr via the north ridge, and the northeast ridge was climbed in 1985 by Carl and Gordon Skoog. Precipitation runoff from the peak drains into tributaries of Twisp River, which in turn is a tributary of the Methow River.