Boston Peak is a tall peak in the

North Cascades The North Cascades are a section of the Cascade Range of western North America. They span the border between the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. state of Washington and are officially named in the U.S. and Canada as the Cascad ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

and within

North Cascades National Park North Cascades National Park is an American national park in the state of Washington. At more than , it is the largest of the three National Park Service units that comprise the North Cascades National Park Complex. North Cascades National Par ...

. At in elevation it is the 26th highest peak in Washington. Its nearest higher neighbor is

Buckner Mountain Buckner Mountain (sometimes called Mount Buckner) is a tall peak in the North Cascades of Washington state and in the Stephen Mather Wilderness of North Cascades National Park. At in elevation it is the highest in Skagit County and one of a ...

, to the east.

Description

Boston Peak is located just north of the border between Chelan and Skagit counties. It is connected to

, to the east by the sharp

arête An arête ( ) is a narrow ridge of rock which separates two valleys. It is typically formed when two glaciers erode parallel U-shaped valleys. Arêtes can also form when two glacial cirques erode headwards towards one another, although frequen ...

of Ripsaw Ridge, which follows the county line.

Sahale Peak Sahale Mountain is a jagged, glaciated mountain, in North Cascades National Park, in northern Washington state. The summit of Sahale Mountain is referred to as Sahale Peak. It is south of its higher neighbor, Boston Peak, and the saddle betwee ...

is located directly south of Boston Peak, connected by a short ridge. A longer ridge to the northwest connects Boston Peak with

Forbidden Peak Forbidden Peak is an glacial horn located in North Cascades National Park, in Skagit County of Washington state. It is part of the North Cascades and is located near Cascade Pass. Forbidden Peak features a rock climbing route named '' West Rid ...

and Sharkfin Tower. The north slopes of Boston Peak and Ripsaw Ridge are covered by

Boston Glacier Boston Glacier is located in a large cirque below several mountain peaks in North Cascades National Park in the U.S. state of Washington. Approximately long but nearly wide, it is the largest glacier in North Cascades National Park. Extending in ...

, the largest glacier of the North Cascades. The west side of Boston Peak is covered by

Quien Sabe Glacier Quien Sabe Glacier is a glacier located on the west slopes of Boston Peak, North Cascades National Park in the U.S. state of Washington. Quien Sabe Glacier retreated 1200 meters from its Little Ice Age maximum in approximately 1850 to 1950. The g ...

Davenport Glacier Davenport Glacier is located in a cirque to the southeast of Boston Peak, North Cascades National Park in the U.S. state of Washington. The glacier is approximately in length resting at between . The glacier is also northeast of Sahale Mountain ...

occupies the southeast side of Boston Peak. To the east of the high summits of Forbidden Peak, Boston Peak, and Sahale Mountain the land slopes down into the vast

cirque A (; from the Latin word ') is an amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion. Alternative names for this landform are corrie (from Scottish Gaelic , meaning a pot or cauldron) and (; ). A cirque may also be a similarly shaped landform ...

of Boston Basin. Numerous headwater tributaries of the Cascade River flow down the slopes of Boston Basin.

Cascade Pass Cascade Pass (formerly also known as Skagit Pass To the south of the high peaks and ridges between Sahale Mountain, Boston Peak, Ripsaw Ridge, and Buckner Mountain is another vast cirque called Horseshoe Basin, from which some the headwater tributaries of the Stehekin River flow. Boston Peak sits on the boundary between the watersheds of the

Skagit River The Skagit River ( ) is a river in southwestern British Columbia in Canada and northwestern Washington in the United States, approximately 150 mi (240 km) long. The river and its tributaries drain an area of 1.7 million acres (690,000& ...

to the west, via the Cascade River and other tributaries, and the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...

to the east, via the Stehekin River and other tributaries.

History

Boston Peak is named for Boston Mine, which operated on the southeast side of the peak in the late 19th century. The first mining claims of what would become the Cascade Mining District were made in 1889 by George Rowse and John Rouse, who named their claims "Boston" and "Chicago", respectively. Boston Peak was first summited in 1938 by Calder Bressler, Ray Clough, Bill Cox, and Tom Myers. It is a difficult climb as the slope is steep and the rock very loose and friable.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Mountains of Washington (state) North Cascades of Washington (state) Mountains of Skagit County, Washington North Cascades National Park

Description

History

See also

References

External links