Gunn Peak facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gunn Peak |
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Gunn Peak
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 6,244 ft (1,903 m) NAVD 88 |
| Prominence | 3,651 ft (1,110 m) |
| Isolation | 10.85 mi (17.46 km) |
| Parent peak | Columbia Peak (7,172 ft) |
| Geography | |
 Gunn Peak
Location in Washington (state)
Gunn Peak
Location in the United States
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| Location | Snohomish County, Washington |
| Parent range | Cascade Range |
| Topo map | USGS Baring |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1915 by H. B. Hinman, W. Eriksen, L. Lesh |
| Easiest route | class 3 scrambling |
Gunn Peak is a tall mountain in Snohomish County, Washington. It stands at about 6,244 feet (1,903 meters) high. This mountain is part of the amazing Cascade Range.
Gunn Peak is special because it's the highest point in the Wild Sky Wilderness area. The mountain got its name from Amos Gunn. He was a homesteader and miner who helped start the nearby town of Index, Washington. He also named Mount Index, another mountain nearby. Water from Gunn Peak flows into small streams that eventually join the Skykomish River.
Mountain Weather
Gunn Peak is in a place with a "marine west coast" climate. This means the weather is often influenced by the ocean. Most of the weather systems start over the Pacific Ocean. They then travel northeast towards the Cascade Range.
When these weather systems hit the tall Cascade Mountains, they are forced to rise. This process is called Orographic lift. As the air rises, it cools down and drops its moisture. This causes a lot of rain or snow to fall on the western side of the Cascades. Because of this, the area around Gunn Peak gets a lot of precipitation, especially snow in winter.
The climate here is mild. Temperatures rarely go below 0°F (-18°C) or above 80°F (27°C). In winter, it's often cloudy. But in summer, high pressure systems over the Pacific Ocean bring clear skies. The snow here tends to be wet and heavy. This can sometimes lead to a high risk of avalanches.
How Mountains Formed
The North Cascades, where Gunn Peak is located, have very rugged shapes. You can see sharp peaks, tall spires, long ridges, and deep valleys carved by glaciers. These amazing shapes were created by geological events that happened millions of years ago. These events caused big changes in the land, leading to the different climates we see today.
The Cascade Mountains started forming millions of years ago, during the late Eocene Epoch. This happened because the North American Plate was slowly moving over the Pacific Plate. This movement caused a lot of volcanic activity. 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), glaciers played a huge role. These massive ice sheets moved forward and backward many times. As they moved, they scraped and shaped the land, leaving behind rock debris. The "U"-shaped valleys you see today were formed by these glaciers. The combination of the land pushing upwards (called uplift) and cracks in the Earth's crust (called faulting), along with the glaciers, created the tall peaks and deep valleys of the North Cascades.
More Photos
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Gunn Peak
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Gunn Peak and Skykomish River
- Gunn Peak weather forecast
