Stephen Peak

Last updated
Stephen Peak
Olympic Hurricane Ridge 17.jpg
Stephen Peak from Hurricane Ridge
Highest point
Elevation 6,418 ft (1,956 m) [1]
Prominence 638 ft (194 m) [1]
Parent peak Mount Carrie (6,995 ft) [2]
Isolation 1.62 mi (2.61 km) [2]
Coordinates 47°52′12″N123°35′44″W / 47.869944°N 123.59558°W / 47.869944; -123.59558 [1]
Geography
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Stephen Peak
Location of Stephen Peak in Washington
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Stephen Peak
Stephen Peak (the United States)
Location Olympic National Park
Jefferson County, Washington, US
Parent range Olympic Mountains
Topo map USGS Mount Queets
Geology
Rock age Eocene
Climbing
First ascent 1961
Easiest route class 2 scrambling [2] [3]

Stephen Peak is a 6,418-foot (1,956-metre) mountain summit located within Olympic National Park in Jefferson County of Washington state. [4] Stephen Peak is the fifth-highest peak in the Bailey Range, which is a subrange of the Olympic Mountains. [1] In clear weather, the mountain can be seen from the visitor center at Hurricane Ridge, appearing to the left of Mount Olympus. Mount Ferry is set 2.26 mi (3.64 km) to the southeast, and Stephen's nearest higher neighbor is Ruth Peak which is an outlier of Mount Carrie, 2.1 mi (3.4 km) to the northwest. [1] Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Elwha River and Hoh River. The first ascent of this peak was made in 1961 by Kent Heathershaw, Doug Waali, and Robert Wood. [3]

Contents

Climate

Stephen Peak in winter Stephen Peak.jpg
Stephen Peak in winter

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Stephen Peak is located in the marine west coast climate zone of western North America. [5] Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean, and travel northeast toward the Olympic Mountains. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks of the Olympic Range, causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall (Orographic lift). As a result, the Olympics experience high precipitation, especially during the winter months. This climate supports an un-named glacier on its east side. [3] 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. In terms of favorable weather, the best months for viewing and climbing are July through September.

Geology

The Olympic Mountains are composed of obducted clastic wedge material and oceanic crust, primarily Eocene sandstone, turbidite, and basaltic oceanic crust. [6] The mountains were sculpted during the Pleistocene era by erosion and glaciers advancing and retreating multiple times.

Stephen Peak's south aspect Stephen Peak, south.jpg
Stephen Peak's south aspect

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adelaide Peak (Washington)</span> Mountain in Washington, USA

Adelaide Peak is a 7,300-foot-elevation mountain summit located in the Olympic Mountains, in Jefferson County of Washington state. It is situated within Olympic National Park and the Daniel J. Evans Wilderness. It is part of The Needles range, which is a subset of the Olympic range. The nearest higher peak is Mount Clark, 0.3 mi (0.48 km) to the south, and Mount Walkinshaw rises 0.66 mi (1.06 km) to the north-northwest. The peak is in the rain shadow of the Olympic Range, resulting in less precipitation than Mount Olympus and the western Olympics receive. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains east into Royal Creek, and west into Gray Wolf River, which are both within the drainage basin of the Dungeness River. Topographic relief is significant as the east aspect rises 2,600 feet (793 m) above Royal Creek in less than one mile.  

References

Stephen Peak from northwest Stephen Basin Lake.jpg
Stephen Peak from northwest
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Stephen Peak". Peakbagger.com.
  2. 1 2 3 "Stephen Peak - 6,418' WA". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
  3. 1 2 3 Stephen Peak, climbersguideolympics.com
  4. "Stephen Peak". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved 2020-06-13.
  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. Alt, D.D.; Hyndman, D.W. (1984). Roadside Geology of Washington. pp. 249–259. ISBN   0-87842-160-2.