Cannon Mountain (Washington) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cannon Mountain |
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Cannon Mountain seen from northeast
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 8,638 ft (2,633 m) |
| Prominence | 838 ft (255 m) |
| Geography | |
 Cannon Mountain
Location in Washington (state)
Cannon Mountain
Location in the United States
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| Location | Chelan County, Washington state, U.S. |
| Parent range | Cascade Range |
| Topo map | USGS Cashmere Mountain |
| Type of rock | Granite |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1921 |
| Easiest route | Hiking YDS 2 |
Cannon Mountain is a tall mountain in Washington state, standing at 8,638 feet (2,633 meters) high. It's found in Chelan County. This mountain is part of a beautiful area called The Enchantments, which is inside the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Cannon Mountain is also part of the Stuart Range, which is a smaller part of the larger Cascade Range. It's located about one mile north of Enchantment Peak. The closest taller mountain is Dragontail Peak, about 2.15 miles (3.46 km) to the southwest. Water from the mountain flows into Icicle Creek, which then joins the Wenatchee River.
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Weather at Cannon Mountain
Have you ever wondered why some mountains get so much rain or snow? Most of the weather in this area starts over the Pacific Ocean. Large air masses, called weather fronts, move east towards the Cascade Range.
When these fronts hit the tall peaks of the Cascades, they are forced to rise. As the air goes higher, it cools down. This causes the moisture in the air to turn into rain or snowfall. This process is called orographic lift. Because of this, the Cascade Mountains get a lot of precipitation, especially heavy snowfall in winter.
During the winter, the weather is often cloudy. But in the summer, high-pressure systems over the Pacific Ocean usually bring clear skies. This means you'll often find little to no cloud cover during the warmer months.
How Cannon Mountain Formed
The Alpine Lakes Wilderness, where Cannon Mountain is located, has some amazing landscapes. You'll see jagged peaks, deep valleys carved by glaciers, and huge granite walls. There are also over 700 mountain lakes!
Ancient Earth Movements
The story of how the Cascade Mountains formed goes back millions of years. Around 50 million years ago, during the late Eocene Epoch, the North American Plate was slowly moving over the Pacific Plate. This movement caused a lot of volcanic activity.
Also, smaller pieces of the Earth's crust, called terranes, crashed into the continent. These collisions helped build up the North Cascades mountain range.
Ice Age Sculpting
Later, during the Pleistocene period, which started over two million years ago, giant sheets of ice called glaciers covered the land. These glaciers moved forward and then melted back many times. As they moved, they scraped and carved the landscape, leaving behind rock and debris.
The last time glaciers retreated from the Alpine Lakes area was about 14,000 years ago. The "U"-shaped valleys you see in the mountains today were created by these powerful glaciers.
Building Mountains and Valleys
The combination of the land being pushed upwards (a process called orogeny) and cracks forming in the Earth's crust (called faulting) worked with the glaciers. Together, these forces created the tall peaks and deep valleys that make the Alpine Lakes Wilderness so unique and beautiful.
Images for kids
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South aspect of Cannon Mountain seen from Enchantment Peak
