| Ice Box | |
| Photo Size: | 280 |
| Elevation Ft: | 8112 |
| Elevation Ref: | [1] |
| Prominence Ft: | 472 |
| Isolation Mi: | 1.51 |
| Map: | Washington#USA |
| Map Size: | 260 |
| Label Position: | right |
| Location: | Chelan County Washington, U.S. |
| Range: | Entiat Mountains North Cascades |
| Parent Peak: | Mount Maude (9040+ ft) |
| Coordinates: | 48.1121°N -120.7956°W |
| Topo: | USGS Trinity |
Ice Box is an 8112abbr=offNaNabbr=off mountain summit located in the Entiat Mountains, a sub-range of the North Cascades, in Chelan County of Washington state. Ice Box ranks as ninth-highest in the Entiat Mountains, and 147th of Washington's highest 200 peaks.[1] Its nearest higher neighbor is Mount Maude, 1.8miles to the north, Spectacle Buttes are set 1.9miles to the northeast, and Chilly Peak is 1.3miles to the southeast. Ice Box is situated 1.25miles south of Ice Lakes in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains east into Ice Creek, or west into Box Creek. This peak is positioned between these two creeks, hence its name.
Lying east of the Cascade crest, the area around Ice Box is a bit drier than areas to the west. Summers can bring warm temperatures and occasional thunderstorms. Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean, and travel northeast toward the Cascade Mountains. As fronts approach the North Cascades, they are forced upward by the peaks of the Cascade Range, causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the Cascades (Orographic lift). As a result, the North Cascades experiences high precipitation, especially during the winter months in the form of snowfall.[2] With its impressive height, Ice Box can have snow on it in late-spring and early-fall, and can be very cold in the winter.
The North Cascades features some of the most rugged topography in the Cascade Range with craggy peaks, ridges, and deep glacial valleys. Geological events occurring many years ago created the diverse topography and drastic elevation changes over the Cascade Range leading to the various climate differences. These climate differences lead to vegetation variety defining the ecoregions in this area.
The history of the formation of the Cascade Mountains dates back millions of years ago to the late Eocene Epoch.[3] With the North American Plate overriding the Pacific Plate, episodes of volcanic igneous activity persisted.[3] Glacier Peak, a stratovolcano that is 14.7miles west of Ice Box, began forming in the mid-Pleistocene.[2] Due to Glacier Peak's proximity to Ice Box, volcanic ash and tephra is common in the area.
During the Pleistocene period dating back over two million years ago, glaciation advancing and retreating repeatedly scoured the landscape leaving deposits of rock debris.[3] The U-shaped cross section of the river valleys is a result of recent glaciation. Uplift and faulting in combination with glaciation have been the dominant processes which have created the tall peaks and deep valleys of the North Cascades area.