Glacier Peak Wilderness is a 566,057-acre (229,075 ha), 35-mile-long (56 km), 20-mile-wide (32 km) wilderness area located within portions of Chelan , Snohomish , and Skagit counties in the North Cascades of Washington . The area lies within parts of Wenatchee National Forest and Mount Baker National Forest and is characterized by heavily forested stream courses, steep-sided valleys, and dramatic glacier -crowned peaks . The dominant geologic feature of the area is 10,541-foot (3,213 m) Glacier Peak . It is the most remote major volcanic peak in the Cascade Range and is the third most heavily glaciated volcano in the lower forty-eight states behind Mount Rainier and Mount Baker . Glacier Peak is a volcanic cone of basalt, pumice, and ash which erupted during periods of heavy glaciation.
5-702: Suiattle Glacier is located in the Glacier Peak Wilderness in the U.S. state of Washington . The glacier is within Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and nearly touches Honeycomb and White River glaciers separated from them by an arête off the Kololo Peaks at its uppermost reaches. Suiattle Glacier has retreated significantly since the end of the Little Ice Age , and from approximately
10-732: A glacier in Washington is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Glacier Peak Wilderness Glacier Peak Wilderness was created by the U.S. Forest Service in 1960 through the efforts of the North Cascades Conservation Council, four years before the 1964 wilderness legislation of the Congress . Forest vegetation comprises several species of fir , Douglas fir , hemlock , red cedar as well as stands of mixed pine and Douglas fir on its eastern slopes. Various species of wildlife inhabit
15-724: The area and include deer , elk , black bear , mountain goat , cougar , marten , and lynx . Smaller animals, such as field mice are common. The last confirmed grizzly bear sighting in the United States portion of the North Cascade ecosystem occurred in this wilderness. The high mountain lakes often give good catches of fish during their ice-free months. The primary fishery is cutthroat trout , however, other species do exist. No roads approach Glacier Peak , and many miles of hiking through extremely rough terrain are required to reach its base. Normally, hikers can reach
20-819: The volcano from the west via the White Chuck River Valley, or the Suiattle River Valley; from the east, it may be approached from the western tip of Lake Chelan or the White River or Chiwawa River valleys. Most years the wilderness is still buried under 10 to 20 feet (300 to 600 cm) of snow in May. Usually most trails and passes are snow free by mid-August, but this varies from year to year. Snow and cold rain can occur in mid-summer. [REDACTED] This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of
25-441: The years 1850 to 1924 lost 1,400 m (4,600 ft) of its length. Between 1924 and 1940, the glacier retreated an additional 900 m (3,000 ft), then during a cooler and wetter period between 1967 and 1979, the glacier had a small advance of 20 m (66 ft). After this, Suiattle Glacier began to retreat again and has retreated 270 m (886 ft) from its advanced position in the 1970s to 2009. This article about
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