| Picket Range | |
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Mount Terror (left skyline), Inspiration Peak (center) and McMillan Spires (right center) from the south
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| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Region | Washington |
| Range | North Cascades |
| Highest point | Luna Peak |
| - elevation | 8,311 ft (2,533 m) |
| - coordinates | |
The Picket Range is a small, extremely rugged subrange of the North Cascades in the northwestern part of the American state of Washington. It is entirely contained within North Cascades National Park. It is about 6 miles (9.7 km) long, running northwest-southeast, and is lies north of the Skagit River, west of Ross Lake, and east of Mounts Baker and Shuksan. There are at least 21 peaks over 7,500 ft (2,300 m) high in the range.[1]
Lage Wernstedt of the U.S. Forest Service mapped the Picket Range in the 1920s and named it for its resemblance to a picket fence (and not for George Pickett). Wernstedt was also apparently responsible for the names of the main peaks, including Mt. Challenger, Fury, Terror, and Phantom. These names first appeared on maps in 1931.[1]
There are few trails in the Picket Range, and any excursion there has a strong wilderness character. Many of the peaks are challenging rock climbs. The rock is biotite gneiss, "formed by metamorphism of sedimentary and volcanic rocks c. 100 m.y. ago."[1]
Contents |
| Mountain | Height | First ascent |
|---|---|---|
| Luna Peak | 8,311 ft/2,533 m | 1938 |
| Mount Fury | 8,292 ft/2,527 m | 1938 |
| Mount Challenger | 8,207 ft/2,501 m | 1936 |
| Mount Terror | 8,151 ft/2,484 m | 1932 |
| McMillan Spires | 8,000 ft/2,438 m+ | 1940 |
| Mount Degernhardt | 8,000 ft/2,438 m+ | 1931 |
| Whatcom Peak | 7,574 ft/2,309 m | 1936 |
| The Chopping Block | 6,819 ft/2,078 m | 1932 |