The Castle (Washington)

The Castle
The Castle, south side
Highest point
Elevation 6,440 ft (1,960 m) [1]
Prominence 200 ft (61 m) [1]
Coordinates 46°45′28″N 121°43′42″W / 46.757752°N 121.728328°W / 46.757752; -121.728328Coordinates: 46°45′28″N 121°43′42″W / 46.757752°N 121.728328°W / 46.757752; -121.728328 
Geography
The Castle
Location of The Castle in Washington
The Castle
The Castle (the US)
Location Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, U.S.
Parent range Cascades
Topo map USGS Mount Rainier East
Climbing
Easiest route Climbing class 5

The Castle[2] is the descriptive name for a summit in the Tatoosh Range which is a sub-range of the Cascade Range. It is located in Lewis County of Washington state. Situated in Mount Rainier National Park, The Castle is 0.2 mile immediately east of Pinnacle Peak. Precipitation runoff from The Castle drains into tributaries of the Cowlitz River.[1]

Climbing

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.[3]

Climate

The Castle is located in the marine west coast climate zone of western North America.[3] 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 (Orographic lift), causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall 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.[3] 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.[3] Because of maritime influence, snow tends to be wet and heavy, resulting in high avalanche danger.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Castle, Washington". Peakbagger.com.
  2. ↑ "The Castle". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2018-08-11.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Beckey, Fred W. Cascade Alpine Guide, Climbing and High Routes. Seattle, WA: Mountaineers Books, 2008.
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