Chair Peak (Washington)

Chair Peak is a 6,238 ft (1,900 m) mountain summit located in east King County of Washington state. It's part of the Cascade Range and is set within the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.[1] Chair Peak is situated three miles northwest of Snoqualmie Pass on land managed by Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Precipitation runoff from this mountain drains into tributaries of the Snoqualmie River. Chair Peak is located immediately south of Snow Lake which is a popular hiking destination. The nearest higher neighbor is Kaleetan Peak, 0.57 miles (0.92 km) to the west-northwest.[1]

Chair Peak
Chair Peak southeast aspect
Highest point
Elevation	6,238 ft (1,901 m) [1]
Prominence	878 ft (268 m) [1]
Parent peak	Kaleetan Peak (6,259 ft)
Isolation	0.57 mi (0.92 km) [2]
Coordinates	47°27′35″N 121°28′01″W [1]
Geography
Chair Peak Location in Washington Show map of Washington (state) Chair Peak Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	King County, Washington state, U.S.
Parent range	Cascade Range
Topo map	USGS Snoqualmie Pass
Climbing
First ascent	1913, Hec V. Abel and L.F. Curtis[3]
Easiest route	Scrambling

Climate

Chair Peak is located in the marine west coast climate zone of western North America.[3]

Chair Peak (right}, Kaleetan (left}

Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean, and travel northeast toward the Cascade Mountains. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks of the Cascade Range, causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the Cascades (Orographic lift). As a result, the west side of the Cascades experiences high precipitation, especially during the winter months in the form of snowfall. Because of maritime influence, snow tends to be wet and heavy, resulting in high avalanche danger.[3] During winter months, weather is usually cloudy, but due to high pressure systems over the Pacific Ocean that intensify during summer months, there is often little or no cloud cover during the summer.[3] The months July through September offer the most favorable weather for viewing or climbing this peak.

Geology

The Alpine Lakes Wilderness features some of the most rugged topography in the Cascade Range with craggy peaks and ridges, deep glacial valleys, and granite walls spotted with over 700 mountain lakes.[4]

Chair Peak from Kendall Peak

Geological events occurring many years ago created the diverse topography and drastic elevation changes over the Cascade Range leading to the various climate differences. These climate differences lead to vegetation variety defining the ecoregions in this area. The elevation range of this area is between about 1,000 feet (300 m) in the lower elevations to over 9,000 feet (2,700 m) on Mount Stuart.

The history of the formation of the Cascade Mountains dates back millions of years ago to the late Eocene Epoch.[5] With the North American Plate overriding the Pacific Plate, episodes of volcanic igneous activity persisted.[5] In addition, small fragments of the oceanic and continental lithosphere called terranes created the North Cascades about 50 million years ago.[5]

During the Pleistocene period dating back over two million years ago, glaciation advancing and retreating repeatedly scoured the landscape leaving deposits of rock debris.[5] The last glacial retreat in the Alpine Lakes area began about 14,000 years ago and was north of the Canada–US border by 10,000 years ago.[5] The "U"-shaped cross section of the river valleys are a result of that recent glaciation. Uplift and faulting in combination with glaciation have been the dominant processes which have created the tall peaks and deep valleys of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area.

Chair Peak seen from Bandera Mountain

See also

• List of peaks of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness

References

1. "Chair Peak, Washington". Peakbagger.com.
2. "Chair Peak - 6,238' WA". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
3. Beckey, Fred W. Cascade Alpine Guide, Climbing and High Routes. Seattle, WA: Mountaineers Books, 2008.
4. Smoot, Jeff (2004). Backpacking Washington's Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Helena, Montana: The Globe Pequot Press.
5. Kruckeberg, Arthur (1991). The Natural History of Puget Sound Country. University of Washington Press.

External links

• Weather forecast: Chair Peak
• Alpine Lakes Wilderness (Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest) U.S. Forest Service