Finney Peak facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Finney Peak
Finney Peak, north aspect
Highest point
Elevation	8,110 ft (2,472 m)
Prominence	830 ft (250 m)
Geography
Finney Peak Location in Washington (state) Show map of Washington (state) Finney Peak Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness Chelan County Washington, U.S.
Parent range	Methow Mountains North Cascades
Topo map	USGS Prince Creek

Finney Peak is a mountain in Washington state, standing at 8,110-foot (2,470-metre) tall. It is part of the Methow Mountains, which are a smaller group of mountains within the larger North Cascades range. You can find Finney Peak in Chelan County.

This peak is located inside the Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness. The land around it is managed by the Okanogan National Forest. A nearby mountain, Star Peak, is even taller and is about 3 miles (4.8 km) to the northeast. Water from Finney Peak flows into nearby Lake Chelan through Prince Creek and Cascade Creek.

Mountain Weather: Finney Peak's Climate

The area around Finney Peak is a bit drier than places to the west. This is because it lies east of the main Cascade Range. In summer, it can get warm, and you might even see thunderstorms.

Most of the weather systems that affect this area start over the Pacific Ocean. They then travel northeast towards the Cascade Mountains. When these weather fronts reach the tall peaks of the Cascade Range, the mountains force the air to rise. As the air goes higher, it cools down, and the moisture in it turns into rain or snow. This process is called Orographic lift. Because of this, the North Cascades get a lot of rain and especially a lot of snow, particularly in winter. Finney Peak can be covered in snow from early fall until late spring, and winters there are very cold.

How Finney Peak Was Formed: Geology

The North Cascades area has some very rugged land. You'll see sharp, rocky peaks, long ridges, and deep valleys carved by glaciers. The way the land looks today is due to amazing geological events that happened millions of years ago. These events created the different types of land and the big changes in height across the Cascade Range. These changes also led to different climates and types of plants in various areas.

The story of how the Cascade Mountains formed began millions of years ago, during a time called the late Eocene Epoch. At that time, the North American Plate (a huge piece of the Earth's crust) was slowly moving over the Pacific Plate. This movement caused many periods of volcanic activity, where molten rock came to the surface.

Also, small pieces of land, called terranes, joined together to form the North Cascades about 50 million years ago. These terranes were originally parts of the ocean floor or other continents.

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 then melted back many times. As they moved, they scraped and carved the landscape, leaving behind piles of rock. The river valleys in this area often have a "U" shape, which is a clear sign that glaciers once moved through them.

The combination of the land pushing upwards (called uplift) and cracks forming in the Earth's crust (called faulting), along with the work of glaciers, are the main reasons why the North Cascades has such tall peaks and deep valleys today.