Granite Mountain (Wenatchee Mountains) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Granite Mountain |
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North aspect from Mac Peak
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 7,144 ft (2,177 m) |
| Prominence | 1,064 ft (324 m) |
| Isolation | 3.03 mi (4.88 km) |
| Parent peak | The Cradle (7,467 ft) |
| Geography | |
 Granite Mountain
Location in Washington (state)
Granite Mountain
Location in the United States
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| Location | Kittitas County / Chelan County Washington state, U.S. |
| Parent range | Wenatchee Mountains Cascade Range |
| Topo map | USGS The Cradle |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | scrambling from Robin Lakes |
Granite Mountain is a tall mountain in Washington state. It stands about 7,144 feet (2,177 meters) high. It has two main peaks, making it a "double summit." You can find it about 11.5 miles (18.5 km) south of Stevens Pass. It sits right on the border between Kittitas County and Chelan County.
Granite Mountain is part of the Wenatchee Mountains, which are a smaller part of the larger Cascade Range. It's located about 19 miles (31 km) west of Leavenworth. The mountain is inside the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, on land managed by the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.
Granite Mountain is the highest point between Hyas Lake and French Creek. Rain and snowmelt from the mountain flow west into the Cle Elum River. Or, they flow east into French Creek, which then joins Icicle Creek. A smaller peak, the 7,080-foot South Peak, is half a mile to the south. The closest higher mountain is The Cradle, about 3 miles (5 km) to the southeast. Mac Peak is about 3.6 miles (5.8 km) to the north-northwest. The Pacific Crest Trail passes by the western base of Granite Mountain.
Mountain Weather and Climate
Most of the weather that affects Granite Mountain comes from the Pacific Ocean. These weather systems, called weather fronts, travel northeast towards the Cascade Range. When they reach the tall peaks of the Cascades, the air is forced to rise. As the air goes higher, it cools down and drops its moisture. This process is called Orographic lift. It causes a lot of rain or snow to fall on the western side of the Cascades.
Because of this, the west side of the Cascades gets a lot of precipitation, especially snow in winter. During winter, the weather is often cloudy. However, in summer, high-pressure systems over the Pacific Ocean become stronger. This often means there are very few clouds. The best time to visit or climb Granite Mountain is usually from June through September. This is when the weather is most clear and pleasant.
How Granite Mountain Was Formed
The Alpine Lakes Wilderness area, where Granite Mountain is located, has very rugged land. You can see jagged peaks, sharp ridges, and deep valleys carved by glaciers. There are also many granite rock walls and over 700 mountain lakes. All these different features were created by amazing geological events that happened millions of years ago. These events caused big changes in the land's height and led to different climates.
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 Earth's crust) was slowly moving over the Pacific Plate. This movement caused many volcanic eruptions and other fiery rock activity. Also, smaller pieces of Earth's crust, called terranes, crashed into North America. This helped build up 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 repeatedly moved across the land. These glaciers scraped and shaped the landscape. The last time the glaciers retreated from the Alpine Lakes area was about 14,000 years ago. They had moved north of the Canada–US border by 10,000 years ago. The valleys in this area often have a "U" shape. This shape is a clear sign that glaciers once moved through them. The combination of the land being pushed up (called uplift) and cracks forming in the Earth's crust (called faulting), along with the action of glaciers, created the tall peaks and deep valleys we see today in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.
