The Castle (Washington)

The Castle[2] is the descriptive name for a summit in the Tatoosh Range which is a sub-range of the Cascade Range. It is located in Lewis County of Washington state. Situated in Mount Rainier National Park, The Castle is 0.2 mile immediately east of Pinnacle Peak. Precipitation runoff from The Castle drains into tributaries of the Cowlitz River.[1]

The Castle
The Castle, south side
Highest point
Elevation6,440 ft (1,960 m) [1]
Prominence200 ft (61 m) [1]
Coordinates46°45′28″N 121°43′42″W 
Geography
The Castle
Location of The Castle in Washington
The Castle
The Castle (the United States)
LocationMount Rainier National Park
Lewis County, Washington, U.S.
Parent rangeCascades
Topo mapUSGS Mount Rainier East
Climbing
Easiest routeClimbing class 5

Climbing

The Pinnacle Saddle Trailhead is located at Reflection Lakes and the trail to the saddle is over a mile in length. From the saddle, a climber's path traverses the south slope of Pinnacle Peak. Reaching the summit of The Castle is minimum class 4 scrambling, with class 5 climbing options.[3]

Climate

The Castle is located in the marine west coast climate zone of western North America.[3] Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean, and travel northeast toward the Cascade Mountains.

The Castle and Pinnacle Peak

As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks of the Cascade Range (Orographic lift), causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the Cascades. As a result, the west side of the Cascades experiences high precipitation, especially during the winter months in the form of snowfall.[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] Because of maritime influence, snow tends to be wet and heavy, resulting in high avalanche danger.[3]

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References
  1. "The Castle, Washington". Peakbagger.com.
  2. "The Castle". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  3. Beckey, Fred W. Cascade Alpine Guide, Climbing and High Routes. Seattle, WA: Mountaineers Books, 2008.
  • The Castle from west
  • The Castle from east
  • The Castle from the southeast
  • The Castle (left) and Pinnacle (center)
  • Pinnacle Peak with The Castle (right)
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