Wallowa Mountains

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Wallowa Mountains and Wallowa Lake in early summer

The Wallowa Mountains are a mountain range located in the Columbia Plateau of northeastern Oregon in the United States. The range runs approximately 40 mi (64 km) northwest to southeast in southwestern Wallowa County between the Blue Mountains to the west and the Snake River to the east. The range is sometimes considered to be an eastern spur of the Blue Mountains.

Much of the range is designated as the Eagle Cap Wilderness Area, part of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. The range is drained by the Wallowa River, which flows from the north side of the mountains, and its tributary the Minam River, which flows through the west side of the range. The Imnaha River flows from the east side of the range. Many geologists believe the Wallowa Mountains in northeastern Oregon are a displaced fragment of the Insular Belt.^[1]

The highest point in the range is Sacajawea Peak, with an elevation of 9,838 ft (2,999 m).^[2] Sacajawea is the 6th tallest mountain in Oregon and the tallest mountain in Oregon outside of the Cascade Range.

The Wallowa Mountains in summer as seen from the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area Headquarters/Wallowa Mountains Visitor Center in Enterprise. From left to right the peaks are: East Peak, Aneroid Mountain, Bonneville Mountain, Chief Joseph Mountain, Sacajawea Peak, Twin Peaks and Ruby Peak.

The Mountains were formed from granite from a magma upwelling in Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous time (between 160 million and 120 million years ago).^[3]

[edit] References

^ The Coast Range Episode. The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture (2006). Retrieved on 2008-05-25.
^ Elevations of Points Near Eagle Cap Wilderness. U.S. Forest Service. Retrieved on 2007-11-18.
^ America's Volcanic Past - Oregon. United States Geological Service Cascades Volcano Observatory. Retrieved on 2007-11-18.