Tatie Peak facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tatie Peak
Tatie Peak, south aspect
Highest point
Elevation	7,386 ft (2,251 m)
Prominence	466 ft (142 m)
Isolation	0.81 mi (1.30 km)
Parent peak	Syncline Mountain (7,580 ft)
Geography
Tatie Peak Location in Washington (state) Show map of Washington (state) Tatie Peak Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	Okanogan County / Whatcom County Washington state, U.S.
Parent range	Okanogan Range North Cascades Cascade Range
Topo map	USGS Slate Peak
Type of rock	sandstone, shale
Climbing
Easiest route	Harts Pass, PCT class 2 scrambling

Tatie Peak is a mountain in Washington state, standing about 7,386 feet (2,251 meters) tall. It sits right on the border between Okanogan County and Whatcom County. This peak is part of the Okanogan Range, which is a smaller part of the larger North Cascades mountains.

Tatie Peak is located about 2.6 miles (4.2 km) east of Mount Ballard. It's also about 3.3 miles (5.3 km) south of Slate Peak. The land around Tatie Peak is managed by the Okanogan National Forest. The closest taller mountain is Syncline Mountain, which is about 0.8 miles (1.3 km) to the south-southwest.

The famous Pacific Crest Trail runs along the southern side of Tatie Peak. From this trail, it's an easy climb off the path to reach the very top of the mountain. Water from Tatie Peak flows in two main directions. Some water drains south into Trout Creek, which then joins the Methow River. Other water flows northwest into Slate Creek, which is part of the Skagit River system.

Weather at Tatie Peak

Most of the weather systems that affect Tatie Peak start over the Pacific Ocean. These systems then move northeast towards the Cascade Mountains. As they get closer to the North Cascades, the tall peaks force the air upwards. This process, called orographic lift, makes the air cool down and drop its moisture. This means a lot of rain or snow falls on the western side of the Cascades.

Because of this, the western side of the North Cascades gets much more rain and snow than the eastern side, especially in winter. During winter, the weather is often cloudy. However, in summer, high-pressure systems over the Pacific Ocean usually bring clear skies.

The best time to visit Tatie Peak is usually from July through September. During these months, the weather is most pleasant, and the Forest Service road leading to the area is open. Sometimes, smoke from distant wildfires can make it harder to see the views. These smoky conditions have become more common over time. In August 2015, a wildfire called the Tatie Peak Fire burned over 140 acres near the mountain.

How Tatie Peak Was Formed

The North Cascades mountains, where Tatie Peak is located, have very rugged and dramatic shapes. You can see sharp peaks, tall spires, long ridges, and deep valleys carved by glaciers. These amazing shapes and the big changes in elevation were created by geological events that happened millions of years ago. These events also led to the different climates you find across the Cascade Range.

The story of how the Cascade Mountains formed goes back millions of years. Around 50 million years ago, during a time called the late Eocene Epoch, the North American Plate was slowly moving over the Pacific Plate. This movement caused many volcanic eruptions, creating new rock.

Also, small pieces of the Earth's outer layer, called terranes, were added to the land. These terranes, along with the volcanic activity, helped build 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 moved across the land many times. As these glaciers advanced and then melted back, they scraped and shaped the landscape. They left behind piles of rock and debris. The "U"-shaped valleys you see in the area today were carved out by these glaciers. The combination of the land being pushed upwards (called uplift) and cracks forming in the Earth's crust (called faulting), along with the glaciers, created the tall peaks and deep valleys of the North Cascades.