Mount Logan (Washington) facts for kids
- For other mountains named Mount Logan see Mount Logan (disambiguation).
Quick facts for kids Mount Logan |
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 9,087 ft (2,770 m) |
| Prominence | 1,487 ft (453 m) |
| Geography | |
 Mount Logan
Location in Washington (state)
Mount Logan
Location in the United States
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| Location | North Cascades National Park, Washington, U.S. |
| Parent range | Cascade Range |
| Topo map | USGS Mount Logan |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1926 Lage Wernstedt |
| Easiest route | Scramble/glacier traverse/class 3 |
Mount Logan is a tall mountain in the North Cascades National Park in Washington, USA. It stands at about 9,087 feet (2,770 meters) high. Getting to Mount Logan is an adventure! You need to hike about 20 miles (32 km) from the nearest starting point.
Even though it's a big mountain, climbing Mount Logan isn't super hard. But, the easiest ways to reach the top involve walking across glaciers. Glaciers are like slow-moving rivers of ice. Because of this, climbers often use ropes to stay safe. Mount Logan is home to three glaciers: the Banded Glacier to the north, the Fremont Glacier to the southwest, and the Douglas Glacier on its southeast side.
Contents
Understanding Mount Logan's Climate
Mount Logan is in a special climate zone called the "marine west coast" climate. This means it's near the ocean, which affects its weather a lot. Most of the weather comes from the Pacific Ocean. It travels east towards the Cascade Mountains.
How Mountains Affect Weather
When weather systems from the Pacific Ocean reach the tall Cascade Mountains, they are forced to rise. As the air goes higher, it cools down. This causes the moisture in the air to turn into rain or snow. This process is called Orographic lift. Because of this, the western side of the North Cascades gets a lot of rain and snow, especially in winter.
Winter and Summer Weather
In winter, the weather is usually cloudy. But in summer, high-pressure systems over the Pacific Ocean often bring clear skies. Temperatures rarely get super cold (below 0°F or -18°C) or super hot (above 80°F or 27°C) because of the ocean's influence. However, the snow here can be wet and heavy. This can sometimes lead to a high risk of avalanches, which are large slides of snow down a mountain.
Exploring Mount Logan's Geology
The North Cascades area, where Mount Logan is located, has some very rugged and dramatic landscapes. You can see jagged peaks, long ridges, and deep valleys carved out by glaciers. These amazing features were formed by geological events that happened millions of years ago. These events also created big changes in elevation, which led to different climates and types of plants in the area.
How the Cascade Mountains Formed
The Cascade Mountains began forming millions of years ago, during a time called the late Eocene Epoch. This happened because the North American Plate (a huge piece of Earth's crust) was slowly moving over the Pacific Plate. This movement caused a lot of volcanic activity. Also, small pieces of Earth's crust, called terranes, came together to help form the North Cascades about 50 million years ago.
The Impact of Glaciers
Over the past two million years, during the Pleistocene period, glaciers played a huge role in shaping the landscape. These massive ice sheets moved forward and then melted back many times. As they moved, they scraped away rock and left behind debris. This is why many river valleys in the area have a "U" shape. The combination of land being pushed up (called uplift) and cracks in the Earth's crust (called faulting), along with the action of glaciers, created the tall peaks and deep valleys we see in the North Cascades today.
Images for kids
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Logan seen from Diablo Lake
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Douglas Glacier on Logan
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Logan seen from Boston-Sahale Col
