Governors Ridge is located in

Mount Rainier National Park Mount Rainier National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in southeast Pierce County, Washington, Pierce County and northeast Lewis County, Washington, Lewis County in Washington (sta ...

in Pierce County of

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

state. It is part of the

Cascade Range The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington (state), Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as m ...

and is situated west of Cayuse Pass and 1.09 mile east of

Tamanos Mountain Tamanos Mountain is a summit located in Mount Rainier National Park in Pierce County of Washington state. It is part of the Cascade Range. Tamanos Mountain is situated west of Governors Ridge and northeast of the Cowlitz Chimneys, all of whi ...

, which is the nearest higher peak. Precipitation runoff from Governors Ridge drains into tributaries of the White River and

Cowlitz River The Cowlitz River is a river in the state of Washington in the United States, a tributary of the Columbia River. Its tributaries drain a large region including the slopes of Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, and Mount St. Helens. The Cowlitz has a ...

. The toponym honors all the governors who have served the state of Washington. The highest rocky crag on the ridge is known as ''Governors Peak''. There is also a 40-foot leaning spire known as ''Governors Needle'', and

Barrier Peak Barrier Peak is a small summit located in Mount Rainier National Park Mount Rainier National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in southeast Pierce County, Washington, Pierce ...

is at the southern culmination of the ridge. The normal climbing access is from the Owyhigh Lakes Trail.

Climate

Governors Ridge is located in the

marine west coast An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring co ...

climate zone of western North America.Beckey, Fred W. Cascade Alpine Guide, Climbing and High Routes. Seattle, WA: Mountaineers Books, 2008. Most

weather front A weather front is a boundary separating air masses for which several characteristics differ, such as air density, wind, temperature, and humidity. Disturbed and unstable weather due to these differences often arises along the boundary. For ins ...

s originating in the Pacific Ocean travel northeast toward the

Cascade Mountains The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as many of those in the ...

. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks of the Cascade Range (

orographic lift Orographic lift occurs when an air mass is forced from a low elevation to a higher elevation as it moves over rising terrain. As the air mass gains altitude it quickly cools down adiabatically, which can raise the relative humidity to 100% and cr ...

), causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snow 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. Because of maritime influence, snow tends to be wet and heavy, resulting in high

avalanche An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a Grade (slope), slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be triggered spontaneously, by factors such as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, othe ...

danger. 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.

References

External links

* Weather forecast
Governors Ridge
* National Park Service web site

{{Geographic Location 2 , Center = Governors Ridge , North = White River , Northeast =

Chinook Peak Chinook Peak is a summit located on the eastern border of Mount Rainier National Park. It is also on the shared border of Pierce County, Washington, Pierce County and Yakima County, Washington, Yakima County in Washington (U.S. state), Washing ...

, ENE =

Deadwood Peak Deadwood Peak is a mountain summit located on the eastern border of Mount Rainier National Park. It is also situated on the shared border of Pierce County and Yakima County in Washington state. Deadwood Peak is set on the crest of the Cascade ...

, East =

Naches Peak Naches Peak is a 6,452-foot (1,967 m) mountain summit located on the shared border of Mount Rainier National Park and William O. Douglas Wilderness. It is also on the shared border of Pierce County and Yakima County in Washington state. Naches ...

, ESE = Cayuse Pass , Southeast = Seymour Peak , South =

Buell Peak Buell Peak is a small 5,756 ft (1,754 m) summit located in Mount Rainier National Park in Pierce County of Washington state. It is part of the Cascade Range and is situated 1.5 miles southwest of Cayuse Pass and 0.53 mile east-south ...

, Southwest =

Cowlitz Chimneys Cowlitz Chimneys are a group of four rhyolite towers located in Mount Rainier National Park in Pierce County of Washington state. As part of the Cascade Range, the Cowlitz Chimneys are situated southwest of Tamanos Mountain and east of Ba ...

, WSW = Banshee Peak , West =

, WNW = Antler Peak , Northwest =

Dege Peak Dege Peak is a 7,009-foot (2,136 m) summit located in Pierce County of Washington state. It is part of the Sourdough Mountains in Mount Rainier National Park. It was named in 1932 for James Henry Dege (born 1868), a prominent Tacoma busine ...

Cascade Range Mountains of Pierce County, Washington Mountains of Washington (state) Mount Rainier National Park