Mount Washington (Oregon) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mount Washington |
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Mount Washington as seen from Big Lake on the northwest
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 7,795 ft (2,376 m) |
| Geography | |
 Mount Washington
Location in the United States
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| Parent range | Cascade Range |
| Topo map | USGS Mount Washington |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | Pleistocene |
| Mountain type | Shield volcano, stratovolcano, volcanic plug |
| Volcanic arc | Cascade Volcanic Arc |
| Last eruption | >250,000 years ago (estimated) |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1923 by E. McNeal and party |
Mount Washington is an old volcano in the Cascade Range of Oregon. It is found in Deschutes and Linn counties. The mountain is surrounded by the Mount Washington Wilderness area, a special protected natural space.
Like other mountains in the Oregon Cascades, Mount Washington was formed when the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate slid under the North American tectonic plate. This process is called subduction. The volcano formed a long time ago, during the late Pleistocene era. Mount Washington is mostly made of dark volcanic rock. Its top has a volcanic plug, which is like a stopper in the volcano's vent. Many dikes (cracks filled with hardened lava) are also found here.
The area around Mount Washington has other cool volcanic features. These include small cinder cones and spatter cones. The last eruptions from this area happened about 1,350 years ago. These eruptions came from spatter cones and created lava deposits.
Mount Washington's surroundings are mostly barren. This means there isn't much plant life. For a long time, not many people visited for fun. A wagon road was built nearby in 1872. It was later paved in the 1930s. On August 26, 1923, six boys from the city of Bend were the first to climb the mountain. In 1964, the government made the area around Mount Washington a protected wilderness. This wilderness area is not very busy, but it has some hiking trails. There isn't a lot of wildlife here. The plants are mostly pines and shrubs. Animals include deer, American black bears, cougars, and small creatures. Some fish live in the lakes.
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Exploring Mount Washington's Location
Mount Washington stands about 7,795 feet (2,376 meters) above sea level. It is located in Deschutes and Linn counties in Oregon. The mountain is north of McKenzie Pass. It is about 12 miles (19 kilometers) west of the city of Sisters. You can only reach the mountain by foot trails. The western and southwestern sides of Mount Washington connect with the Skyline Trail. This trail is about 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the Big Lake trailhead.
Even though it's one of the smaller volcanoes in the Oregon Cascades, Mount Washington is a very noticeable landmark. It sits between North Sister and Three Fingered Jack. To the northeast are the Cache Mountain cinder cones. Hayrick Butte and Hoodoo Butte are to the northwest. Mount Washington forms a line of steep, icy mountains with North Cinder Peak and Three Fingered Jack. These are south of Mount Jefferson. The volcano looks like a tall, pointed spire, similar to Mount Thielsen. Some people say it looks like Cleopatra's Needle or even the Sugarloaf Mountain in Brazil from different angles.
How the Land Looks
The land around Mount Washington ranges from about 3,200 feet (975 meters) to over 7,700 feet (2,347 meters) high. Most of the rain and snow falls during the winter. Summers are warm and dry. In winter, the Cascades are covered in deep snow. Because of this, Oregon Route 242 over McKenzie Pass closes from fall until late spring. Other roads like Santiam Highway and Oregon Route 126 stay open.
Inside the Mount Washington Wilderness, you can find areas shaped by glaciers. These include plains and mounds of rock and dirt left behind by melting ice. Many of these were formed during the last big ice age in the late Pleistocene era. There are also some newer glacial deposits from the Holocene era. A large ice sheet covered the area between Mount Washington and Three Fingered Jack during the late Pleistocene. The McKenzie River starts from Clear Lake. It flows south for about 9 miles (15 kilometers) west of Mount Washington. Then it turns west for another 70 miles (113 kilometers) and joins the Willamette River near Eugene.
Mount Washington Wilderness Area
The Mount Washington Wilderness covers a huge area of about 54,278 acres (220 square kilometers). It was first called a "wild area" by the United States Forest Service in 1975. Then, it became one of the first official wilderness areas under the 1964 Wilderness Act. This wilderness is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of Bend. It is the smallest of three wilderness areas that make up most of the High Cascades region in central Oregon. The other two are the Three Sisters Wilderness and Mount Jefferson Wilderness.
People mostly use the Mount Washington area for hunting, hiking, and climbing. It includes the Dee Wright Observatory, smaller volcanoes, and parts of the Pacific Crest Trail. This famous trail runs north to south through the wilderness for about 16.6 miles (27 kilometers). Other important features include Belknap Crater and 28 lakes. The Willamette National Forest and Deschutes National Forest work together to manage this wilderness area.
Plants and Animals
Some people describe the Mount Washington Wilderness as a "rocks and ice wilderness." Much of it is covered in old lava flows and rocky debris. But it also has some forested areas. There are 28 lakes in the northern and southwestern parts of the wilderness.
Plant Life
The plants you can find here include mountain hemlock, lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, and whitebark pine. Ponderosa pine grows at the eastern base of the volcano. Douglas fir trees are found on the western side. There are not many plants on the lava-covered surfaces. However, mountain hemlock can grow on lava flows. Underneath the trees, you might see beargrass, huckleberry, and rhododendron.
Animal Life
Large animals like deer and elk live in the area. You might also spot a rare American black bear or cougar. Smaller animals are also common. These include pikas, marmots, martens, snowshoe hares, and ground squirrels. The lakes in the wilderness are home to different types of fish. These include brook trout, cutthroat trout, and rainbow trout. You can also see frogs around some of the lakes.
Human History and Wilderness Protection
The area around Mount Washington has not always been a popular spot for fun activities. This is because it is quite barren. A wagon road was built at McKenzie Pass in 1872. This road was later paved in the 1930s and became Oregon Route 242. The road got its name from the nearby McKenzie River. The river was named after Donald McKenzie, a fur trader who explored the area in 1812.
On August 26, 1923, Mount Washington was climbed for the very first time. Six boys from Bend achieved this feat. Their names were Ervin McNeal, Phil Philbrook, Armin Furrer, Wilbur Watkins, Leo Harryman, and Ronald Sellars.
Before Mount Washington's surroundings became a wilderness area in 1964, there were plans to use the land for cutting timber. Some people thought the land wasn't very pretty or good for recreation. However, Forest Service agents argued that protecting the area would make it a better "wilderness." So, the area was officially protected.
How Mount Washington Was Formed
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Volcanoes in Oregon's Cascade Range are formed by the subduction of the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate under the North American tectonic plate. Mount Washington is part of the High Cascades region in central Oregon. This area has many lava flows, cinder cones, and fissure vents that run from north to south. There are also some large stratovolcanoes. Near Mount Washington, the High Cascades form a lava field. These volcanoes have been worn down by glaciers over time.
Mount Washington is part of a group of volcanoes informally called Oregon's Matterhorns. This group also includes Mount Thielsen, Three Fingered Jack, Mount Bailey, and Diamond Peak. They are called Matterhorns because their tops look like the pointed peak of the Matterhorn mountain in Switzerland. All these volcanoes stopped erupting at least 100,000 to 250,000 years ago. This long time has allowed glaciers to carve and shape them. Mount Washington is one of 30 volcanoes in this group. It sits on a lava platform that is about 4,000 to 5,000 feet (1,219 to 1,524 meters) high.
Scientists debate whether Mount Washington is a stratovolcano or a shield volcano. Some call it a "mafic shield volcano," while others describe it as a "glacially-gutted Pleistocene stratovolcano." It seems to have features of both. It is made of different materials and has steep slopes.
Mount Washington is about 3 miles (5 kilometers) wide. It has a summit cone at its top. A volcanic plug fills the volcano's main opening. This plug is made of hardened lava and cinder. You can also see dikes (cracks filled with hardened lava) throughout the summit cone.
Over time, Mount Washington has been greatly worn down by nature. Its inside parts are now exposed. You can see U-shaped canyons and bowl-shaped cirques. In the late Pleistocene, large glaciers over 7 miles (12 kilometers) long carved these features into the volcano's sides.
Smaller Volcanic Features
Smaller cones like Cache Mountain, Little Cache Mountain, Hayrick Butte, and Hoodoo Butte are considered part of Mount Washington. The Mount Washington Wilderness also has many cinder cones. These are usually between 150 and 300 feet (46 and 91 meters) tall. They are made of gray to red cinder and other volcanic rock. Important cinder cones in the wilderness include Belknap Crater, Twin Craters, Scott Mountain, and the Sand Mountain craters.
The most recent activity at Mount Washington came from a line of spatter cones. These cones are about one mile long and point northeast. They are located in the Cache Creek valley between Mount Washington and Blue Lake Crater.
When Mount Washington Erupted
Mount Washington formed during the late Pleistocene epoch. The volcano itself is not older than a few hundred thousand years. Experts believe it has not erupted for more than 250,000 years. This is similar to Mount Thielsen. The volcano's main structure was built by eruptions of basaltic andesite and volcanic ash.
Compared to larger volcanoes in the Cascade volcanic arc, Mount Washington had a shorter eruptive life. Several spatter cones on the lower northeastern side of the volcano produced basaltic andesite. These eruptions followed a fissure (a long crack) that stretched about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) from Washington's summit. There were no lava flows from this eruption.
It is still possible that new volcanic cones could form at the base of Mount Washington. However, scientists believe the volcano itself is unlikely to be active anymore.
Fun Activities and Recreation
Even though this area is not as busy as some other wilderness areas in Oregon's Cascade Range, it offers beautiful lakes and trails. The Pacific Crest Trail runs along the western side of Mount Washington. Other trails include a loop around the Patjens Lakes, the Hand Lake trail, and the Benson Lake route.
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Climbing Mount Washington is known to be difficult and dangerous. It is not recommended for climbers who are new to it or who do not have the right equipment.
