Maiden Peak is a steep-sided shield volcano in the Cascade Range of central

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

. It is the highest point in the distance between Mount Bachelor and Diamond Peak.

Ice Age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gre ...

glaciers carved a large cirque into the northeast flank of the mountain, exposing

magma Magma () is the molten or semi-molten natural material from which all igneous rocks are formed. Magma is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and evidence of magmatism has also been discovered on other terrestrial planets and some natural sa ...

which hardened in the volcano's conduits to form the numerous

rock pinnacle A pinnacle, tower, spire, needle or natural tower (german: Felsnadel, ''Felsturm'' or ''Felszinne'') in geology is an individual column of rock, isolated from other rocks or groups of rocks, in the shape of a vertical shaft or spire. Examples ar ...

s now found in the upper part of the cirque. The summit of Maiden Peak consists of a steeper cinder cone which sits atop the underlying shield volcano. It is located on the Cascade Crest, which forms the boundary between Lane County and Deschutes County. Also, it is on the boundary between the

Deschutes National Forest The Deschutes National Forest is a United States National Forest located in parts of Deschutes, Klamath, Lake, and Jefferson counties in central Oregon. It comprises along the east side of the Cascade Range. In 1908, the Deschutes National F ...

and the

Willamette National Forest The Willamette National Forest is a National Forest located in the central portion of the Cascade Range of the U.S. state of Oregon. It comprises . Over 380,000 acres (694 mi2, 1,540 km2) are designated wilderness which include seve ...

. A Forest Service fire lookout tower was built on the summit in 1923, but was removed in 1958. A trail zigzags up to the summit from the southwest.

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