Eldorado Peak facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Eldorado Peak |
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Eldorado Peak and Eldorado Glacier
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 8,868 ft (2,703 m) NGVD 29 |
| Prominence | 2,188 ft (667 m) |
| Geography | |
 Eldorado Peak
Location in Washington (state)
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| Parent range | North Cascades |
| Topo map | USGS Eldorado Peak |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | Cretaceous |
| Mountain type | Orthogneiss |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | August 27, 1933 by Donald Blair, Norval Grigg, Arthur Winder and Arthur Wilson |
| Easiest route | East Ridge, class 2 |
Eldorado Peak is a tall mountain, about 8,868-foot (2,703 m) high. It's one of the 25 tallest mountains in Washington state. You can find it in the North Cascades mountain range in Washington, about 27 miles (43 km) east of a town called Concrete.
It's part of the beautiful North Cascades National Park, near Marble Creek and the Inspiration Glacier. Other big glaciers nearby are the Eldorado Glacier and McAllister Glacier. This means Eldorado Peak is surrounded by the biggest non-volcanic ice sheet in the lower 48 states of the U.S. – that's a lot of ice!
Climbing Eldorado Peak
Eldorado Peak looks very different depending on which side you see it from. From the west, it looks like a steep wall with rocky slabs and narrow channels. But from the east, it's a small rocky peak surrounded by lots of ice. The south side has a triangular shape with long ridges on its sides.
The easiest and most popular way to climb Eldorado is from the south and east. This route goes across the Inspiration Glacier and then up a moderately steep snow ridge. Eldorado is a popular place for climbers because it's fairly easy to get to. It's also one of the 100 highest peaks in Washington, and it offers amazing views of the mountains around it. Most climbers take two days to complete the trip, but some experienced climbers can do it in one very long day.
Climbing Routes
There are several ways to climb Eldorado Peak, each with different challenges:
- West Arete: This is a rock climbing route up the west face. It's considered a difficult climb (Grade IV, class 5.8).
- East Ridge: This route involves traveling across a glacier and then climbing up steep snow (Class class 2).
- Northeast Ridge: This route is a mix of ice and snow climbing (Class AI2).
- Northwest Ice Corridor: This is a challenging route that involves climbing ice and rock (Class M3 to M4).
Mountain Geology
The geology of Eldorado Peak is quite simple compared to other mountains in the Cascades. It's mostly made of one main type of rock called Cretaceous orthogneiss. More specifically, this rock is a type of biotite granodiorite.
Only the very bottom parts of the mountain are made of different kinds of rock. These are mostly mixed metamorphic rocks, which are rocks that have changed due to heat and pressure. There are also two "normal faults" on the mountain. A fault is a crack in the Earth's crust where rocks have moved. One fault is on the east side, and the other is on the west side.
Climate Around Eldorado Peak
Eldorado Peak is located in a "marine west coast" climate zone. This means its weather is strongly influenced by the nearby Pacific Ocean. Most weather systems, like storms, start over the Pacific Ocean and move northeast towards the Cascade Mountains.
When these weather systems reach the North Cascades, the tall peaks force the air to rise. As the air rises, it cools down and drops its moisture as rain or snowfall onto the mountains. Because of this, the western side of the North Cascades gets a lot of precipitation, especially heavy snowfall in winter.
Thanks to the ocean's influence, the area rarely gets extremely cold (below 0 °F (−18 °C)) or extremely hot (above 80 °F (27 °C)). In winter, it's usually cloudy. However, during summer, high-pressure systems over the Pacific Ocean often bring clear skies. The snow in this region tends to be wet and heavy, which can lead to a high risk of avalanches.
