Crescent Mountain is a 6,715-ft (2,047 m) ridge-like mountain located in north-central
Mount Rainier National Park, in
Pierce County of
Washington state.
[
] It is part of the
Cascade Range
The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, ...
, and lies due north of the summit of
Mount Rainier
Mount Rainier (), indigenously known as Tahoma, Tacoma, Tacobet, or təqʷubəʔ, is a large active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest, located in Mount Rainier National Park about south-southeast of Seattle. With a s ...
.
Sluiskin Mountain is its nearest higher neighbor, to the east.
Precipitation
runoff
Runoff, run-off or RUNOFF may refer to:
* RUNOFF, the first computer text-formatting program
* Runoff or run-off, another name for bleed, printing that lies beyond the edges to which a printed sheet is trimmed
* Runoff or run-off, a stock market ...
from Crescent Mountain drains west into tributaries of the
Carbon River.
History
This mountain's descriptive name
Crescent derives from its crescent shape as it wraps around Crescent Lake. This feature was named by geologist
Bailey Willis in 1883.
[Mount Rainier National Park Place Names. Gary Fuller Reese (author), 2009.] The name was officially adopted in 1932 by the
United States Board on Geographic Names
The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the federal governm ...
.
[
]
Climate
Crescent Mountainis located in the marine west coast climate zone of western North America.[Beckey, Fred W. Cascade Alpine Guide, Climbing and High Routes. Seattle, WA: Mountaineers Books, 2008.] Most weather fronts originating in the Pacific Ocean travel northeast toward the Cascade Mountains. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks of the Cascade Range ( orographic lift), causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snow onto the Cascades. As a result, the west side of the Cascades experiences high precipitation, especially during the winter months in the form of snowfall. Because of maritime influence, snow tends to be wet and heavy, resulting in high avalanche danger. During winter months, weather is usually cloudy, but due to high pressure systems over the Pacific Ocean that intensify during summer months, there is often little or no cloud cover during the summer.
See also
* Geology of the Pacific Northwest
References
External links
* National Park Service web site
Mount Rainier National Park
* Crescent Mountain
weather forecast
{{Geographic Location 2
, Center = Crescent Mountain
, North = Crescent Lake
, Northeast = Windy Gap
, East = Sluiskin Mountain
, Southeast = Skyscraper Mountain
, South = Old Desolate
Old Desolate is a multi-summit, ridge-like mountain located in Mount Rainier National Park, in Pierce County of Washington state.
It is part of the Cascade Range, and lies due north of the summit of Mount Rainier. The Wonderland Trail pro ...
, Southwest = Carbon Glacier
Carbon Glacier is located on the north slope of Mount Rainier in the U.S. state of Washington and is the source of the Carbon River. The snout at the glacier terminal moraine is at about above sea level, making it the lowest-elevation glacier in ...
, WSW = Wonderland Trail
, West = Mother Mountain
, Northwest = Chenuis Mountain
Cascade Range
Mountains of Pierce County, Washington
Mountains of Washington (state)
Mount Rainier National Park
North American 2000 m summits