Pelican Butte
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Pelican Butte | |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 8036 ft (2449 m) |
| Location | Oregon, USA |
| Range | Cascade Volcanic Arc, Cascade Range |
| Coordinates | |
| Topo map | USGS Pelican Butte |
| Type | Shield volcano |
| First ascent | prehistoric Native American |
| Easiest route | dirt road |
Pelican Butte is a steep-sided dormant shield volcano in the Cascade Range of southern Oregon. It is located 28 mi (45 km) due south of Crater Lake and 12 mi (19 km) northeast of Mount McLoughlin, and rises over 3800 ft (1160 m) directly above the shore of Upper Klamath Lake. Ice Age glaciers carved a large cirque into the northeast flank of the mountain, forming a steep bowl which is popular in winter with backcountry skiers and snowmobilers. Several proposals have been made over the last few decades for ski area development on the northeast flanks, but none have achieved the regulatory approval from the United States Forest Service necessary to proceed with construction. If the ski area is ever built, its skiable vertical of over 3800 ft (1160 m) would be the largest in Oregon, exceeding the 3590 ft (1094 m) of Timberline Lodge ski area on Mount Hood.
A Forest Service fire lookout tower was built on the summit in 1935, and upgraded several times over the ensuing decades. It was replaced in 1986 with a modern 40 ft (12 m) steel tower, which remains to this day and is festooned with a large array of microwave and radio antennas. A 5 mi (8 km) long dirt road zigzags up the west flanks of the volcano to the summit.
[edit] References
- Harris, Stephen L. (2005). Fire Mountains of the West: The Cascade and Mono Lake Volcanoes (3rd ed.). Mountain Press Publishing Company. ISBN 0-87842-511-X.
- Wood, Charles A.; Jürgen Kienle, eds. (1990). Volcanoes of North America. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-43811-X.
- Kresek, Ray (1998). Fire Lookouts of the Northwest (3rd ed.). Historic Lookout Project. ISBN 0-87770-632-8.
[edit] External links
- Maps and aerial photos
- WikiSatellite view at WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image from TerraServer-USA
- Surrounding area map from Google Maps
- Location in the United States from the Census Bureau
