The Chehalem Mountains are a mountain range located in the

Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley ( ) is a long valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the east, ...

in the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

state of

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. Forming the southern boundary of the

Tualatin Valley The Tualatin Valley is a farming and suburban region southwest of Portland, Oregon in the United States. The valley is formed by the meandering Tualatin River, a tributary of the Willamette River at the northwest corner of the Willamette Valley, ...

, the Chehalems are the highest mountains in the Willamette Valley. The range extends from the

Willamette River The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward b ...

east of Newberg northwest to the foothills of the

Oregon Coast Range The Oregon Coast Range, often called simply the Coast Range and sometimes the Pacific Coast Range, is a mountain range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region, in the U.S. state of Oregon along the Pacific Ocean. This north-south runni ...

south of Forest Grove.

Toponymy

The word "Chehalem" is a corruption of the Atfalati Indian word "Chahelim," a name given in 1877 to one of the bands of Atfalati.

Geography

Composed of a single land mass that was uplifted by

tectonic Tectonics (; ) are the processes that control the structure and properties of the Earth's crust and its evolution through time. These include the processes of mountain building, the growth and behavior of the strong, old cores of continents k ...

forces, the mountain range includes several spurs and ridges such as Parrett Mountain, Ribbon Ridge, and

Bald Peak Bald Peak is a mountain top and highest point in the Chehalem Mountains in the Northwest area of the U.S. state of Oregon. Located in Yamhill County near the county line with Washington County, the summit at 1624+ feet (495+ m) is the highest poi ...

.Chehalem Mountains now official wine area.
''

Portland Business Journal Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

'', December 27, 2006. The highest peak in the Chehalem Mountain Range is Bald Peak, rising to , which is also the highest peak point within the Willamette Valley.

Chehalem Mountains AVA

The

Chehalem Mountains AVA The Chehalem Mountains AVA is an American Viticultural Area {AVA) located in the Yamhill and Washington counties of northwestern Oregon. It contains two sub-regions, Laurelwood District AVA and Ribbon Ridge AVA. History The petition process fo ...

has been a designated

American Viticultural Area An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States, providing an official appellation for the mutual benefit of winery, wineries and consumers. Winemakers frequently want their consumers to know abo ...

since 2006.

References

External links

*{{commonscat-inline
''The Oregonian''MetroMap
Mountain ranges of Oregon Landforms of Washington County, Oregon Landforms of Yamhill County, Oregon

Toponymy

Geography

Chehalem Mountains AVA

See also

References

External links