Pinnacle Peak (Whatcom County, Washington) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pinnacle Peak |
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Pinnacle Peak (left) seen with Pyramid Peak from Paul Bunyans Stump
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 7,360 ft (2,240 m) |
| Prominence | 400 ft (120 m) |
| Parent peak | Paul Bunyans Stump 7,480+ ft |
| Geography | |
 Pinnacle Peak
Location in Washington (state)
Pinnacle Peak
Location in the United States
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| Location | North Cascades National Park Whatcom County Washington, U.S. |
| Parent range | North Cascades Cascade Range |
| Topo map | USGS Diablo Dam |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | North Ridge Scramble (class 3) |
Pinnacle Peak is a tall mountain in the North Cascades mountain range in Washington, United States. It stands about 7,360 feet (2,243 meters) high. You can find it inside North Cascades National Park, between two other peaks called Pyramid Peak and Paul Bunyans Stump.
This mountain rises steeply from Diablo Lake, which is a reservoir on the Skagit River. Pinnacle Peak is part of a group of mountains that stretch south, including popular climbing spots like Colonial Peak and Snowfield Peak. Water from the mountain flows down into Diablo Lake and the Skagit River. To get close to Pinnacle Peak, you can hike the Pyramid Lake Trail, which starts near Diablo Dam on the North Cascades Highway.
Weather Around Pinnacle Peak
Pinnacle Peak is in a "marine west coast" climate zone. This means it gets a lot of moisture from the Pacific Ocean. Most weather fronts, which are like big areas of weather, start over the Pacific and move towards the Cascade Range.
When these weather fronts hit the tall peaks of the North Cascades, the air is forced to rise. As the air goes up, it cools down and drops its moisture as 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.
In winter, it's often cloudy. But in summer, high-pressure systems over the Pacific Ocean usually bring clear skies. The snow here tends to be wet and heavy because of the ocean's influence. This can make avalanches more likely.
How Pinnacle Peak Was Formed
The North Cascades mountains have a very rugged look, with sharp peaks, spires, and deep valleys carved by glaciers. The amazing shapes and big changes in height you see in the Cascade Range were created by geological events that happened millions of years ago.
The Cascade Mountains started 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 many volcanic eruptions.
Also, small pieces of Earth's crust, called terranes, came together to form the North Cascades about 50 million years ago.
Later, during the Pleistocene period (which began over two million years ago), glaciers repeatedly moved across the land. As they advanced and retreated, they scraped away rock and left behind debris. The "U"-shaped valleys you see today were carved out by these glaciers. The combination of the land being pushed up (uplift) and cracks forming in the Earth's crust (faulting), along with the action of glaciers, created the tall peaks and deep valleys of the North Cascades.
