Drake Peak Explained

Drake Peak
Etymology:	John M. Drake
Map:	USA Oregon
Location:	Lake County, Oregon
Elevation Ft:	8399
Prominence Ft:	2547
Isolation Mi:	17.34
Coordinates:	42.3003°N -120.1236°W
Rock Type:	Rhyolite
Mountain Type:	Volcanic complex
Volcanic Arc:	Warner Mountains
Last Eruption:	Miocene

Drake Peak is an 8399feet summit of the Warner Mountains in Lake County, Oregon in the United States. It is located in the Fremont National Forest. The mountain is named in honor of Lieutenant Colonel John M. Drake, a Union Army officer who served in both the 1st Oregon Cavalry and the 1st Oregon Infantry regiments during the American Civil War.^{[1] [2] [3]}

Geology

Drake Peak is an rhyolitic volcanic complex.^[4] It last erupted in the Miocene.^[5]

Lookout

The Drake Peak lookout is located about a mile west of Drake Peak on neighboring Light Peak, at an elevation of 8222feet above sea level. The lookout is a L-4 Aladdin ground cabin, built in 1948. Visitors can drive to the lookout. From there, they can hike across the saddle between the two peaks and then climb to the top of Drake Peak.^{[6] [7]}

Environment

The north slope of Drake Peak is covered by a ponderosa pine forest while low sagebrush dominates the rockier southern slope. Some areas also have quaking aspen and several fir species. Local wild flowers include bitterroot, aster, goldenweed, and penstemon.^[8]

The habitats around Drake Peak supports a variety of large mammal species including mule deer, Rocky Mountain elk, pronghorn, American black bear, bobcats, and mountain lions. Common birds in the sky around Drake Peak include prairie falcons, golden eagles, and bald eagles.^{[7] [8]}

See also

• List of mountain peaks of Oregon

Notes and References

1. McArthur, Lewis A. and Lewis L. McArthur, "Drake Peak", Oregon Geographic Names (Seventh Edition), Oregon Historical Society Press: Portland, Oregon, 2003, p. 302.
2. Victor, Frances Fuller, "The First Oregon Cavalry", The Quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society (Vol III), Oregon Historical Society, Salem, Oregon, March–December 1902, pp. 123-163.
3. Official Army Register of the Volunteer Forces of the United States Army for the Years 1861, ’62, ’63, ’64, ‘65 (Part VII), Missouri, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, California, Kansas, Oregon, Nevada., Adjutant General's Office, Secretary of War, Washington, D.C., 2 March 1865.
4. https://www.usgs.gov/publications/drake-peak-a-structurally-complex-rhyolite-center-southeastern-oregon#:~:text=Drake%20Peak%20%E2%80%94%20A%20structurally%20complex%20rhyolite%20center%20in%20southeastern%20Oregon,-December%2031%2C%201980&text=The%20Drake%20Peak%20volcanic%20center,intrusion%20and%20extrusion%20of%20rhyolite.
5. https://www.usgs.gov/publications/drake-peak-a-structurally-complex-rhyolite-center-southeastern-oregon#:~:text=Drake%20Peak%20%E2%80%94%20A%20structurally%20complex%20rhyolite%20center%20in%20southeastern%20Oregon,-December%2031%2C%201980&text=The%20Drake%20Peak%20volcanic%20center,intrusion%20and%20extrusion%20of%20rhyolite.
6. http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r6/passes-permits/recreation/?cid=fsbdev2_026640 "Drake Peak Lookout"
7. http://www.recreation.gov/camping/drake-peak-lookout/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=75025 "Drake Peak Lookout"
8. Sullivan, William L., "Abert Rim and Hart Mountain," Exploring Oregon’s Wild Area (Second Edition), The Mountaineers, Seattle, Washington, 1994, p. 259, 262.