| Mount Shuksan | |
|---|---|
Mt Shuksan as seen from Baker Lake to the south |
|
| Elevation | 9,131 ft (2,783 m) NGVD 29[1] |
| Prominence | 4,411 ft (1,344 m) [1] |
| Location | |
| Location | Whatcom County, Washington, USA |
| Range | Cascades |
| Coordinates | [2] |
| Topo map | USGS Mount Shuksan |
| Geology | |
| Type | Metamorphic schist |
| Age of rock | Cretaceous |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | September 7, 1906 by Asahel Curtis and party |
| Easiest route | rock/ice climb, class 3[1] |
Mount Shuksan is a glaciated massif[3] in the North Cascades National Park. Shuksan rises in Whatcom County, Washington immediately to the east of Mount Baker, and 11.6 miles (18.7 km) south of the Canadian border. The mountain's name Shuksan is derived from the Lummi word [šéqsən], said to mean "high peak".[4] The highest point on the mountain is a three sided peak known as Summit Pyramid.[5] There are two named subsidiary peaks; Nooksack Tower and The Hourglass.
The mountain is composed of Shuksan greenschist, oceanic basalt that was metamorphosed when the Easton terrane collided with the west coast of North America, approximately 120 million years ago.[6] The mountain is an eroded remnant of a thrust plate formed by the Easton collision.[3]
Shuksan is one of the more often photographed mountains in the Cascade Range.[7] Photographs with its reflection in Picture Lake near Mount Baker Ski Area are particularly common. The Mount Baker Highway, State Route 542, is kept open during the winter to support the ski area; in late summer, the road to Artist Point allows visitors to travel a few miles higher for a closer view of the peak.
Sulphide Creek Falls, one of the tallest waterfalls in North America, plunges off the southeastern flank of Mount Shuksan. There are four other tall waterfalls that spill off Mount Shuksan and neighboring Jagged Ridge and Seahpo Peak, mostly sourced from small snowfields and glaciers.
Mount Shuksan has several subsidiary peaks, including Seahpo Peak.