Dragontail Peak

Dragontail Peak
Dragontail Peak (left center) and Stuart Range
Elevation	8840+ ft (2694+ m) NGVD 29[1]
Prominence	1,760 ft (540 m)[1]
Location
Location	Chelan County, Washington, U.S.
Range	Cascades
Coordinates	47°28′43″N 120°50′00″W / 47.4787301°N 120.833421°W / 47.4787301; -120.833421Coordinates: 47°28′43″N 120°50′00″W / 47.4787301°N 120.833421°W / 47.4787301; -120.833421<[2]
Topo map	USGS Enchantment Lakes
Geology
Type	Granite
Age of rock	Cretaceous
Climbing
Easiest route	Scramble[3]

Dragontail Peak, also known as Dragon Tail,^[2] is a mountain in the Stuart Range, in Chelan County, Washington. While climbing an adjacent peak, Lex Maxwell, Bob McCall, and Bill Prater remarked that the needles on the crest, southwest of the summit, resembled a "dragon tail".^[4] The name was officially accepted in 1955.^[2] On the mountain's northeast flank lies Colchuck Lake which drains into Mountaineer Creek, and Colchuck Glacier lies below the western slopes of the peak. On its south side the mountain drops steeply (50% slope) to Ingalls Creek, which flows about 5,800 feet (1,800 m) below the summit.^[5]

The mountain, which lies in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, bordered by Mount Stuart, Little Annapurna, and Cannon Mountain,^[5] is composed of a granite formation that creates the Stuart Range. Dragontail is the second highest mountain in the range, second only to Mount Stuart which lies 3.2 miles (5.1 km) to the west and reaches 9,415 feet (2,870 m).

The two needles, on ridge southwest of the summit which gave rise to its name, serve as formidable alpine climbing objectives that demand more than 20 pitches of sustained climbing. The area around Dragontail Peak is dominated by wilderness and is protected from development.

The Enchantments, to northeast of Dragontail, is an area of towering peaks, year-round snow, and alpine lakes. It forms the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.

References