Three Fingered Jack facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Three Fingered Jack |
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Southwest side of Three Fingered Jack seen from Pacific Crest Trail
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 7,844 ft (2,391 m) NAVD 88 |
| Geography | |
 Three Fingered Jack
Location in the United States
Three Fingered Jack
Location in Oregon
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| Parent range | Cascades |
| Topo map | USGS Three Fingered Jack |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | older than 200,000 years |
| Mountain type | Summit, Shield volcano |
| Volcanic arc | Cascade Volcanic Arc |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1923 by E. McNeal and party |
Three Fingered Jack is a cool mountain in the Cascade Range in Oregon, U.S.. It's actually an old shield volcano, which means it's shaped like a warrior's shield lying on the ground. This volcano formed a very long time ago, during the Ice Age.
The mountain is made mostly of a type of rock called basaltic andesite lava. In the past, huge glaciers covered it. While other volcanoes in Oregon that had lots of glaciers now look like eroded stumps, Three Fingered Jack has a unique, narrow, jagged top. This top is made of loose rock bits called tephra.
Even though it's an old volcano, it's still a popular spot. Many different plants and animals live around it. Long ago, the Molala people, an indigenous group, lived here. They fished for salmon and gathered berries. The first non-native people explored the area in the 1820s. The first group to climb to the top of Three Fingered Jack did so in 1923.
Climbing Three Fingered Jack can be tricky. If it gets foggy, it's easy to get lost because you can't see well. This sometimes means climbers need help to get down safely.
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Where is Three Fingered Jack?
Three Fingered Jack is located in Oregon, specifically in Linn and Jefferson counties. It stands tall between two other famous volcanic areas: Mount Jefferson and the Three Sisters. The mountain is about 7,844 feet (2,391 meters) high.
You can find Three Fingered Jack inside the Mount Jefferson Wilderness. This area is wild and beautiful, and you can't reach it by paved roads. However, you can get close by hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail. It's about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of the town of Sisters.
The Mount Jefferson Wilderness is a huge natural area. It covers over 111,000 acres (450 square kilometers). It has more than 150 lakes and about 190 miles (306 kilometers) of hiking trails. A big part of the famous Pacific Crest Trail runs through it. Both Three Fingered Jack and Mount Jefferson are important landmarks in this wilderness.
What is the Jack Glacier?
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During the last big Ice Age, huge sheets of ice covered this area. These glaciers shaped the land, leaving behind hills of rock and dirt called moraines. They also left scratches on rocks, showing where the ice moved.
Today, only one glacier remains on Three Fingered Jack. It's unofficially called the Jack glacier. It's on the northeast side of the mountain, in a shady bowl-shaped area called a cirque. This glacier is quite small now, only about 2.5 acres (1 hectare). In the past, it was much bigger, covering up to 32 acres (13 hectares).
The Jack glacier is likely not moving much anymore. During a cooler period called the Little Ice Age (from about 1350 to 1850), this glacier created moraines that were almost 200 feet (61 meters) high.
The Lake on the Mountain
As of 1993, the moraine from the Jack glacier holds back a lake. This lake is quite large, covering about 6,120 square meters (65,875 square feet). It is also up to 8 meters (26 feet) deep. Even though it wasn't on maps in the 1920s, people knew about it by 1937.
This lake is in a risky spot. The moraines that hold it are very steep and not very stable. Sometimes, parts of the moraine have broken, causing floods down the mountain. There have been at least three floods since 1960, including a big one in 2012. The soil around the volcano is thin and covered by old ash from past eruptions.
Plants and Animals
The area around Three Fingered Jack is home to many different plants and animals.
Plants
Along the hiking trails and on the volcano itself, you can find various trees and plants. These include:
A special plant called the Cascade parsley fern grows on Three Fingered Jack. You can find it at elevations between 6,500 and 7,000 feet (1,981 to 2,134 meters).
Animals
The wilderness area around Three Fingered Jack is full of wildlife.
- Large Mammals: You might spot American black bears, coyotes, cougars, red foxes, and raccoons. There are also Roosevelt elk, black-tailed deer, and mule deer.
- Smaller Mammals: Look out for American pikas, snowshoe hares, and various rodents like yellow-bellied marmots, chipmunks, and North American beavers. You might also see mountain goats on the rocky slopes.
- Birds: Many types of birds live here, from mallard ducks to large hawks like the red-tailed hawk. You can also find owls, hummingbirds, and many kinds of woodpeckers. Other birds include jays, ravens, chickadees, and robins.
- Amphibians and Reptiles: The area has salamanders, frogs, western toads, and different kinds of garter snakes.
- Fish: About half of the lakes in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness have rainbow trout.
How Three Fingered Jack Formed
Three Fingered Jack is a shield volcano. It's part of a group of volcanoes in Oregon that are sometimes called "Oregon's Matterhorns." This is because their tall, pointy tops look a bit like the famous Matterhorn mountain in Switzerland.
Unlike some bigger volcanoes, Three Fingered Jack didn't erupt for a very long time. It stopped erupting more than 100,000 years ago. It's the northernmost volcano in this group of "Matterhorn" peaks.
The mountain is made up of several layers of old cinder cones and composite cones that sit on top of older lava flows from the shield volcano. These layers of volcanic rock cover a large area, about 34 square miles (88 square kilometers).
Three Fingered Jack has a long, jagged ridge that runs from north to south. It's very eroded, meaning wind, water, and ice have worn it down a lot over time. Some climbers even say the top feels like it moves in the wind because it's so loose!
Scientists believe the volcano is between 500,000 and 250,000 years old. Over this long time, at least three different periods of glaciers have carved out its shape. These glaciers helped expose the inside of the volcano, which helps scientists learn about its past eruptions.
Eruptions of Three Fingered Jack
Three Fingered Jack's eruptive history is similar to many other volcanoes in the Cascade Mountains. It started with a pyroclastic cone forming over older shield volcanoes. Later, more eruptions built the main cone with lava flows and more pyroclastic rock.
As the volcano got older, its eruptions became more explosive. These explosions created a lot of loose rock bits (tephra), which is why the top of the mountain is so crumbly. The lava flows near the top were about 3 feet (1 meter) thick.
The volcano stopped building its cone before the last major Ice Age. This allowed the huge glaciers to wear away most of the cone, especially on the eastern and northeastern sides.
Even though Three Fingered Jack is old and inactive, there has been volcanic activity in the wider region during the last 11,700 years. These eruptions, which happened after the huge eruption that formed Crater Lake about 6,600 years ago, produced ash and lava flows that cover hundreds of square miles in the area.
People and the Mountain
The land around Three Fingered Jack has a rich history.
Early Inhabitants
The Molala people traditionally lived in this area. They were one of the native groups in the northwestern United States. They were skilled at fishing for salmon and gathering wild berries, fruits, and herbs. They also collected obsidian, a type of volcanic glass, which they used for tools.
First Explorers and Climbers
The first non-native person to explore this area was David Douglas in 1825. He was a botanist, meaning he studied plants. The next year, Peter Skene Ogden also explored the region.
The first group to climb to the very top of Three Fingered Jack reached the summit on September 3, 1923. This group included Ervin McNeal, Phil Philbrook, Armin Furrer, Wilbur Watkins, Leo Harryman, and Ronald Sellars.
What's in a Name?
The name "Three Fingered Jack" has a few possible stories. Some say it was named after Joaquin Murrieta, a gold miner from the California Gold Rush who was also known as "Three Fingered Jack." Others believe it was named after a trapper who had fewer than five fingers on one of his hands.
Fun Things to Do
Three Fingered Jack and the surrounding wilderness offer many opportunities for outdoor fun.
Hiking Trails
You can hike around Three Fingered Jack and enjoy amazing views of the volcano.
- The Canyon Creek Meadows hiking trail starts at Jack Lake. It's about 4.5 miles (7.2 kilometers) long and is good for families and children. It gains about 400 feet (122 meters) in elevation.
- A connected trail continues for another 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) up a rocky path. This trail gets steeper as it gets closer to the volcano, gaining 1,400 feet (427 meters) in elevation.
- The Pacific Crest Trail 2000 also offers great views of the volcano and its summit lake. This trail is about 11.6 miles (18.7 kilometers) round trip.
- For a longer adventure, the Three Fingered Jack loop trail goes all the way around the volcano. It's about 20.5 miles (33 kilometers) long and gains 3,300 feet (1,006 meters) in elevation.
Climbing Safety
Climbing to the very top of Three Fingered Jack can be dangerous. The cliffs are steep, and the rocks can be loose and unstable. It's important to be very careful, as footing and handholds can give way without warning. If the mountain becomes foggy, visibility can drop, making it easy for climbers to get lost and need rescue.
Images for kids
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Southwest side of Three Fingered Jack seen from Pacific Crest Trail
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The Jack glacier and the summit lake in summer
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A herd of mountain goats seen on the flank of Three Fingered Jack
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Three Fingered Jack as seen from Santiam Lake
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Three Fingered Jack has a desiccated, jagged appearance.
