Picket Range Explained

Picket Range
Country:United States
Region:Washington
Range:North Cascades
Highest:Mount Fury
Elevation Ft:8356
Coordinates:48.8308°N -121.2733°W

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 6miles long, running northwest–southeast, and lies north of the Skagit River, west of Ross Lake, and east of Mounts Baker and Shuksan. There are at least 21 peaks in the range over 7500feet high.[1]

Swedish American 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] [2]

There are few trails in the Picket Range, and any excursion there has a strong wilderness character. Most of the access points are characterized as steep brush thick valleys, with little open terrain. Many of the peaks are challenging rock climbs. The rock is biotite gneiss, formed by metamorphism of sedimentary and volcanic rocks about 100 million years ago.[1]

The Picket Range is home to many of the North Cascades' classic climbs and many of its best technical climbs. The rugged terrain has attracted many photographers to the range, creating some of the most spectacular images in the national park. The rugged and sharp peaks are unmatched in steepness and jaggedness by any other ranges in the lower 48 American states. This has made it a popular area in the National Park, and has contributed to the Cascades' title of "The American Alps".

A theodolite survey of West and East Fury on Oct 22, 2022, established the altitudes of the two peaks of Fury. West Fury was set at 8,305ft +/-10 feet and East Fury as 8,356 +/- 8ft. [3] This moved Luna Peak from the highest mountain in the Picket Range to the second highest.

Notable Peaks of the Picket Range

MountainHeightFirst ascent
(ft)(m)
8356feetalign=middle1938
8311feetalign=middle1938
8207feetalign=middle1936
8200feetalign=middle2004
8151feetalign=middle1932
8129feetalign=middle1940
8004feetalign=middle1940
8004feetalign=middle1940
8000feetalign=middle1931
8000feetalign=middle1970
7993feetalign=middle1968
7960feetalign=middle1951
7936feetalign=middle1932
7880feetalign=middle1940
7880feetalign=middle1980
7880feetalign=middle1961
7840feetalign=middle1951
7680feetalign=middle1969
7640feetalign=middle1961
7574feetalign=middle1936
7440feetalign=middle1961
7082feetalign=middle1962
7000feetalign=middle1932
6819feetalign=middle1932

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Beckey, Fred W. . Cascade Alpine Guide: Rainy Pass to Fraser River . 1995 . The Mountaineers Books . 978-0-89886-423-6 . 94–128 .
  2. Web site: Childs. Geof. Lage Wernstedt The forgotten giant. methownet.com. methownet. 19 January 2016.
  3. Web site: Luna, East Fury, West Fury Theodolite Survey . Eric. Gilbertson PhD.