Wild Goat Peak facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wild Goat Peak |
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West aspect, above Gold Lake
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 6,305 ft (1,922 m) |
| Prominence | 545 ft (166 m) |
| Isolation | 1.91 mi (3.07 km) |
| Parent peak | Big Snow Mountain (6,680 ft) |
| Geography | |
 Wild Goat Peak
Location in Washington (state)
Wild Goat Peak
Location in the United States
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| Location | King County Washington state, U.S. |
| Parent range | Cascade Range |
| Topo map | USGS Big Snow Mountain |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | scrambling East ridge |
Wild Goat Peak is a mountain in Washington state, USA. It stands tall at about 6,305 feet (1,922 meters) above Gold Lake. This peak is part of the amazing Cascade Range and sits inside the beautiful Alpine Lakes Wilderness. The land around it is managed by the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Water flowing from the mountain eventually reaches the Snoqualmie River and Skykomish River. The closest taller mountain is Big Snow Mountain, which is about 1.91 miles (3.07 km) to the southwest. Long ago, Wild Goat Peak was known as "Big Snowy."
Weather at Wild Goat Peak
Wild Goat Peak is in a special climate zone called the marine west coast climate. This means it gets a lot of weather from the Pacific Ocean. Most weather systems travel from the ocean towards the Cascade Mountains.
When these weather systems hit the tall Cascade Mountains, they are forced to rise. As the air goes higher, it cools down and drops its moisture as rain or snow onto the mountains. This process is called Orographic lift. Because of this, the western side of the Cascades gets a lot of rain and snow, especially in winter.
During winter, it's often cloudy. But in summer, high-pressure systems over the Pacific Ocean bring clear skies. This means summer is usually sunny! The snow here tends to be wet and heavy, which can sometimes create a risk of avalanches. The best time to visit or climb Wild Goat Peak is usually from July to September, when the weather is most pleasant.
How Wild Goat Peak Formed
The Alpine Lakes Wilderness, where Wild Goat Peak is located, has some very rugged land. You can see sharp peaks, rocky ridges, deep valleys carved by glaciers, and granite cliffs. There are also more than 700 mountain lakes!
The amazing landscape and big changes in elevation in the Cascade Range were created by geological events that happened millions of years ago. These events also led to the different climates we see today.
The Cascade Mountains started forming millions of years ago, during a time called the late Eocene Epoch. This happened because the North American Plate was slowly moving over the Pacific Plate. This movement caused many volcanic eruptions and created new rock. Also, small pieces of the Earth's crust, called terranes, 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. These glaciers carved and shaped the mountains and valleys. The last time glaciers retreated from the Alpine Lakes area was about 14,000 years ago. The "U"-shaped valleys you see today were formed by these powerful glaciers. The combination of land being pushed up (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 Alpine Lakes Wilderness.
