Terrace Mountain (Washington)

Terrace Mountain is a 6,361-foot (1,939-metre) mountain summit located in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness in eastern King County of Washington state. It's part of the Cascade Range and is situated on land managed by Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. The peak is situated 4 mi (6.4 km) north of Mount Daniel, and is surrounded by Lake Clarice, Marmot Lake, Ptarmigan Lakes, and the Terrace Lakes. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Skykomish River. The mountain's descriptive name stems from the terrace-like appearance created by a series of benches on its east aspect.

Terrace Mountain
Terrace Mountain from the east
Highest point
Elevation6,361 ft (1,939 m) [1]
Prominence721 ft (220 m) [1]
Coordinates47°37′18″N 121°11′51″W [1]
Geography
Terrace Mountain
Washington state, U.S.
Terrace Mountain
Terrace Mountain (the United States)
Parent rangeCascade Range
Topo mapUSGS Mount Daniel
Climbing
Easiest routeScrambling

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.[2] Geological events occurring many years ago created the diverse topography and drastic elevation changes over the Cascade Range leading to various climate differences.

Terrace Mountain in early spring

During the Pleistocene period dating back over two million years ago, glaciation advancing and retreating repeatedly scoured and shaped the landscape.[3] 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.[3] 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.

Climate

Terrace Mountain is located in the marine west coast climate zone of western North America.[4] 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. 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.[4] Because of maritime influence, snow tends to be wet and heavy, resulting in high avalanche danger.[4]

See also

References
  1. "Terrace Mountain, Washington". Peakbagger.com.
  2. Smoot, Jeff (2004). Backpacking Washington's Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Helena, Montana: The Globe Pequot Press.
  3. Kruckeberg, Arthur (1991). The Natural History of Puget Sound Country. University of Washington Press.
  4. Beckey, Fred W. Cascade Alpine Guide, Climbing and High Routes. Seattle, WA: Mountaineers Books, 2008.
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