Naches Peak is a 6,452-foot (1,967 m) mountain summit located on the shared border of

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 ...

and

William O. Douglas Wilderness The William O. Douglas Wilderness is a designated wilderness in Central Washington. It includes located between the U.S. Route 12 and State Route 410 and is jointly administered by the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest and the Gifford P ...

. It is also on the shared border of Pierce County and

Yakima County Yakima County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 256,728. The county seat and most populous city is Yakima, Washington, Ya ...

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. Naches Peak is situated on the crest 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 immediately southeast of

Chinook Pass Chinook Pass (elevation 5430 ft./1656 m.) is a pass through the Cascade Range in the state of Washington. The pass is located on the crest of the Cascade Range, along a ridge between Yakima Peak to the northwest of the pass, and Naches Pe ...

. Its nearest higher neighbor is Tahtlum Peak, to the east. The name ''Naches Peak'' was proposed by the

Yakima Yakima ( or ) is a city in and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, United States, and the state's 11th most populous city. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 96,968 and a metropolitan population of 256,728. The ...

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...

and approved by

Asahel Curtis Asahel Curtis (1874–1941) was an American photographer based in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. His career included documentation of the Klondike Gold Rush, Klondike Gold Rush period in Seattle, natural landscapes in the N ...

in 1927. The Naches Peak Loop Trail is a popular 3.5 mile trail encircling the peak. Naches Peak Loop joins a section of the

Pacific Crest Trail The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie ...

and crosses meadows that fill with summer wildflowers. Precipitation runoff from the west side of Naches Peak drains into Chinook Creek, which is a tributary of the Ohanapecosh River, whereas the east side drains into tributaries of the

American River The American River is a List of rivers of California, river in California that runs from the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada mountain range to its confluence with the Sacramento River in downtown Sacramento. Via the Sacramento River, it ...

Climate

Naches Peak 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. The months of July through September offer the most favorable weather for viewing or climbing this peak.

Gallery

File:Naches Peak, north side.jpg, ''Naches Peak from north'' File:Naches Peak above Lake Tipsoo (bdbefe5c2b5d447bb9c57615f999cc74).JPG, ''West aspect'' File:Naches Peak west aspect.jpg, ''East aspect'' File:Lupine Meadow (7949974528).jpg, ''Lupine wildflowers along loop trail'' File:Rainier Naches Loop Trail (43795286).jpeg, ''Indian paintbrush along loop trail'' File:Athyrium distentifolium americanum (Alpine Lady-fern) (7993253369).jpg, ''Fern along loop trail'' File:Sitka Mountain-ash (Sorbus sitchensis) (7967518190).jpg, ''Sitka Mountain-ash''

References

External links

* Naches Pea
weather forecast
* National Park Service web site

* National Forest Service web site
William O Douglas Wilderness
{{Geographic Location 2 , Center = Naches Peak , North = Chinook Peak , Northeast = Fifes Peaks , East = Tahtlum Peak , Southeast = Dewey Peak , South = Seymour Peak , Southwest = Double Peak , WSW =

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 ...

, West = Governors Ridge , WNW = Yakima Peak , Northwest =

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 ...

Cascade Range Mountains of Pierce County, Washington Mountains of Washington (state) Mountains of Yakima County, Washington One-thousanders of the United States

Climate

See also

Gallery

References

External links