The Castle is a summit in Lewis County of Washington state.[3] It is part of the Tatoosh Range which is a sub-range of the Cascade Range. The Castle is located in Mount Rainier National Park, and it 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 | |
| Elevation | 6,440 ft (1,963 m)[1] |
| Prominence | 200 ft (61 m)[1] |
| Parent peak | Pinnacle Peak[2] |
| Isolation | 0.18 mi (0.29 km)[2] |
| Coordinates | 46°45′28″N 121°43′42″W / 46.757752°N 121.728328°W |
| Geography | |
  The Castle Location of The Castle in Washington  The Castle The Castle (the United States) | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Lewis |
| Protected area | Mount Rainier National Park |
| Parent range | Cascades |
| Topo map | USGS Mount Rainier East |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Climbing class 5[2] |
Climbing edit
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.[4]
Climate edit
The Castle is located in the marine west coast climate zone of western North America.[4] Most weather fronts originating in the Pacific Ocean travel northeast toward the Cascade Mountains. 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 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.[4] Because of maritime influence, snow tends to be wet and heavy, resulting in avalanche danger.[4] 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]
References edit
- ^ a b c "The Castle, Washington". Peakbagger.com.
- ^ a b c "Castle, The - 6,460' WA". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
- ^ "The Castle". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
- ^ a b c d e Beckey, Fred W. Cascade Alpine Guide, Climbing and High Routes. Seattle, WA: Mountaineers Books, 2008.
Gallery edit
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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)
External links edit
- The Castle: weather forecast
- National Park Service web site: Mount Rainier National Park
- The Castle: YouTube