| Mount Olympus | |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 7,980 ft (2,432 m) NAVD 88[1] |
| Prominence | 7,838 ft (2,389 m) [2] |
| Location | |
| Location | Olympic National Park, Jefferson County, Washington, USA |
| Range | Olympic Mountains |
| Coordinates | [1] |
| Topo map | USGS Mount Olympus |
| Geology | |
| Type | Shale and sandstone |
| Age of rock | Eocene |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1907 by L.A. Nelson and party [3] |
| Easiest route | Glacier Climb |
Mount Olympus is the tallest and most prominent mountain in the Olympic Mountains of western Washington state. Located on the Olympic Peninsula, it is the central feature of Olympic National Park. Mount Olympus is the highest summit of the Olympic Mountains, however, peaks such as Mount Constance, on the eastern margin of the range, are more visible from the Seattle metropolitan area. With notable local relief, it ascends over 2,100 m (6,900 ft) from the 293 m (961 ft) elevation confluence of the Hoh River with Hoh Creek in only 8.8 km (5.5 mi). Mount Olympus has 7,829 ft (2,386 m) of prominence, ranking 5th in the state of Washington.[4]
Due to heavy winter snowfalls, Mount Olympus supports large glaciers, despite its modest elevation and relatively low latitude. These glaciers include Blue, Hoh, Humes, Jeffers, Hubert, and White, the longest of which is Hoh at 3.06 miles (4.93 km). The largest is Blue with a volume of 0.14 cubic miles (0.57 km3) and area of 2.05 square miles (5.31 km2).[5]
Mount Olympus was sighted in 1774 by the Spanish explorer Juan Perez, who named it "El Cerro de la Santa Rosalia". This is said to be the first time a European named a geographic feature in what is now Washington state. In 1778, on July 4, the British explorer John Meares gave the mountain its present name.[6]
|
||||||||||||||