Picket Range
CountryUnited States
RegionWashington
RangeNorth Cascades
HighestLuna Peak
Elevation8311 ft
Coordinates48°49′51″N 121°16′24″W

The Picket Range is a small, extremely rugged subrange of the North Cascades in the northwestern part of the American state of Washington. It is entirely contained within North Cascades National Park. It is about 6 miles (9.7 km) long, running northwest–southeast, and lies north of the Skagit River, west of Ross Lake, and east of Mounts Baker and Shuksan. There are at least 21 peaks in the range over 7,500 ft (2,300 m) high.[1]

Swedish American Lage Wernstedt of the U.S. Forest Service mapped the Picket Range in the 1920s and named it for its resemblance to a picket fence (and not for George Pickett). Wernstedt was also apparently responsible for the names of the main peaks, including Mt. Challenger, Fury, Terror, and Phantom. These names first appeared on maps in 1931.[1][2]

There are few trails in the Picket Range, and any excursion there has a strong wilderness character. Most of the access points are characterized as steep brush thick valleys, with little open terrain. Many of the peaks are challenging rock climbs. The rock is biotite gneiss, formed by metamorphism of sedimentary and volcanic rocks about 100 million years ago.[1]

Notable Peaks of the Picket Range

MountainHeightFirst ascent
(ft)(m)
Luna Peak8,311 feet2,533 m1938
Mount Fury8,301 feet2,530 m1938
Mount Challenger8,207 feet2,501 m1936
Poltergeist Pinnacle8,200 feet2,499 m2004
Mount Terror8,151 feet2,484 m1932
Crooked Thumb Peak8,129 feet2,478 m1940
McMillan Spire8,004 feet2,440 m1940
Phantom Peak8,004 feet2,440 m1940
Mount Degenhardt8,000 feet2,438 m1931
Ghost Peak8,000 feet2,438 m1970
Swiss Peak7,993 feet2,436 m1968
The Pyramid7,960 feet2,426 m1951
Twin Needles7,936 feet2,419 m1932
Inspiration Peak7,880 feet2,402 m1940
Spectre Peak7,880 feet2,402 m1980
Himmelhorn7,880 feet2,402 m1961
The Rake7,840 feet2,390 m1951
Little Mac Spire7,680 feet2,341 m1969
Ottohorn7,640 feet2,329 m1961
Whatcom Peak7,574 feet2,309 m1936
Frenzel Spitz7,440 feet2,268 m1961
Mount Crowder7,082 feet2,159 m1962
West Peak7,000 feet2,134 m1932
The Chopping Block6,819 feet2,078 m1932

See also

References

  1. ^ Beckey, Fred W. (1995). Cascade Alpine Guide: Rainy Pass to Fraser River. The Mountaineers Books. pp. 94–128. ISBN 978-0-89886-423-6.
  2. ^ Childs, Geof. "Lage Wernstedt The forgotten giant". methownet.com. methownet. Retrieved 19 January 2016.