The Needles (Olympic Mountains)

The Needles
The Needles seen from Mt. Deception
Highest point
Peak	Mount Johnson
Elevation	7,680 ft (2,340 m) [1]
Coordinates	47°49′57″N123°14′14″W / 47.8326263°N 123.2372141°W / 47.8326263; -123.2372141 [2]
Dimensions
Length	2 mi (3.2 km)North-South
Width	1 mi (1.6 km)East-West
Geography
The Needles Location in Washington Show map of Washington (state) The Needles The Needles (the United States) Show map of the United States
Location	Olympic National Park Jefferson County, Washington
Country	United States
State	Washington
Range coordinates	47°53′21″N123°38′43″W / 47.8892984°N 123.6452825°W / 47.8892984; -123.6452825
Parent range	Olympic Mountains
Topo map	USGS Mount Deception
Geology
Rock age	Eocene

The Needles is a mountain ridge located within Olympic National Park in Jefferson County of Washington state. ^[2]

Description

The peaks and pinnacles of The Needles are part of the Olympic Mountains and are situated within the Daniel J. Evans Wilderness. They are bounded by Mount Deception to the south and Gray Wolf Ridge to the north. Precipitation runoff from the ridge drains east into Royal Creek, and west into Gray Wolf River, which are both within the Dungeness River drainage basin. Old-growth forests of Douglas fir, western hemlock, and western redcedar grow on the lower slopes surrounding the peaks.

History

This geographical feature's descriptive name has been officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. ^[2] The 1889–90 Seattle Press Expedition originally named it the "Holmes Range". ^[3] The expedition, led by James Halbold Christie and Charles Adams Barnes, had also christened Mount Deception as "Mount Holmes", in honor of John H. Holmes of the Boston Herald.

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, the Needles range is located in the marine west coast climate zone of western North America. ^[4] Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean, and travel east toward the Olympic Peninsula. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks, causing moisture to drop in the form of rain or snowfall (Orographic lift). As a result, the range experiences high precipitation, especially during the winter months. 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. The months July through September offer the most favorable weather for visiting The Needles.

Summits

Principal summits of The Needles: ^[5]

Name	Elevation	Prominence	First ascent	Reference
Mount Johnson	7,680 ft	480 ft	1940	[1]
Martin Peak	7,638 ft	238 ft	1940	[6]
Devil's Fang	7,600 ft	unknown	1972	[7]
Sweat Spire	7,560 ft	unknown	1962	[8]
Mount Clark	7,528 ft	608 ft	1940	[9]
Gasp Pinnacle	7,520 ft	40 ft	1958	[10]
The Incisor	7,440 ft	40 ft	1958	[11]
Mount Walkinshaw	7,378 ft	378 ft	1961	[12]
Adelaide Peak	7,300 ft	120 ft	1944	[13]
Sundial	7,200 ft	80 ft	1944	[14]
The Arrowhead	7,160 ft	unknown	1962	[15]

Gallery

• 
  The Needles seen from Obstruction Peak
• 
  Johnson, Sweat Spire, Gasp Pinnacle to left. Clark and Sundial to right.
• 
  Martin, Incisor, Johnson, Clark, and Sundial seen from Marmot Pass
• 
  Mt. Deception (left), The Needles centered, Tyler Peak along right edge,
  as seen from near Port Townsend

Geology

The Olympic Mountains are composed of obducted clastic wedge material and oceanic crust, primarily Eocene sandstone, turbidite, and basaltic oceanic crust. ^[16] The mountains were sculpted during the Pleistocene era by erosion and glaciers advancing and retreating multiple times.

See also

• Mountains portal

• Geology of the Pacific Northwest

References

1. "Mount Johnson, Washington". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
2. "The Needles". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved February 14, 2022.
3. Parratt, Smitty (1984). Gods and Goblins: A Field Guide to Place Names of Olympic National Park (1st ed.).
4. Peel, M.C.; Finlayson, B.L. & McMahon, T.A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification" (PDF). Hydrology and Earth System Sciences . 11 (5): 1633–1644. Bibcode:2007HESS...11.1633P. doi: 10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 . Archived (PDF) from the original on December 2, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
5. "The Needles Area – Climbers Guide to the Olympic Mountains". climbersguideolympics.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
6. "Martin Peak". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
7. "Devil's Fang – Climbers Guide to the Olympic Mountains". climbersguideolympics.com. Archived from the original on November 27, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
8. "Sweat Spire, Washington". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
9. "Mount Clark, Washington". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
10. "Gasp Pinnacle, Washington". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
11. "The Incisor, Washington". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
12. "Mount Walkinshaw, Washington". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
13. "Adelaide Peak, Washington". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
14. "Sundial, Washington". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
15. "The Arrowhead, Washington". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
16. Alt, D.D.; Hyndman, D.W. (1984). Roadside Geology of Washington. pp. 249–259. ISBN   0-87842-160-2.

External links

• The Needles photo: Flickr
• "Olympic National Park". National Park Service. Archived from the original on March 14, 2022.
• Weather forecast: Mountain Forecast

Media related to The Needles (Olympic Mountains) at Wikimedia Commons