Cascade Peak facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cascade Peak |
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Cascade Peak seen from Sahale Arm
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 7,428 ft (2,264 m) |
| Prominence | 628 ft (191 m) |
| Isolation | 0.55 mi (0.89 km) |
| Parent peak | Johannesburg Mountain (8200 ft) |
| Geography | |
 Cascade Peak
Location in Washington (state)
Cascade Peak
Location in the United States
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| Location | Skagit County, Washington, U.S. |
| Parent range | North Cascades Cascade Range |
| Topo map | USGS Cascade Pass |
| Type of rock | Breccia |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | July 23, 1950 by Fred Beckey, Pete Schoening, Phil Sharpe |
| Easiest route | glacier travel, class 3-4 scrambling |
Cascade Peak is a tall mountain in Washington state. It's about 7,428 feet (2,264 meters) high. This peak is located in Skagit County. It's part of the North Cascades mountain range, which is a section of the larger Cascade Range.
This peak sits above Cascade Pass. It's right on the edge of North Cascades National Park and the Glacier Peak Wilderness area. Nearby, you'll find Johannesburg Mountain and a group of peaks called The Triplets. Water flowing off the mountain eventually goes into the Cascade River.
Mountain Weather
Cascade Peak is in a place with a "marine west coast" climate. This means it gets a lot of moisture from the Pacific Ocean. Most weather fronts, which bring changes in weather, start over the Pacific. They then travel northeast towards the Cascade Mountains.
When these weather fronts hit the tall North Cascades peaks, the air is forced to rise. As the air goes higher, it cools down and drops its moisture. This causes a lot of rain or snowfall on the mountains. This process is called Orographic lift. The west side of the North Cascades gets a lot of precipitation, especially heavy snowfall in winter.
During winter, the weather is often cloudy. But in summer, high-pressure systems over the Pacific Ocean bring clear skies. This means there's often little or no cloud cover. Because of the ocean's influence, the snow tends to be wet and heavy. This can lead to a high risk of avalanches.
How the Mountains Formed
The North Cascades mountains have very rugged shapes. They have sharp peaks, rocky ridges, and deep valleys carved by glaciers. These amazing shapes were created by geological events that happened millions of years ago. These events also caused big changes in elevation, which led to different climates.
The Cascade Range started forming millions of years ago, during the late Eocene Epoch. At that time, the North American Plate was slowly moving over the Pacific Plate. This movement caused many volcanic eruptions. Also, small pieces of the Earth's crust, called terranes, came together to form the North Cascades about 50 million years ago.
Later, during the Pleistocene period (which started over two million years ago), huge sheets of ice called glaciers moved across the land. These glaciers advanced and retreated many times. As they moved, they scraped away the landscape, leaving behind rock debris. The U-shaped valleys you see today were carved out by these glaciers. The combination of land being pushed up (called uplift) and cracks in the Earth's crust (called faulting), along with glaciation, created the tall peaks and deep valleys of the North Cascades. You can still see small parts of glaciers on the north side of Cascade Peak today.
