The Okanagan Range or Okanogan Range is a small subrange 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, ...

straddling the border between

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

and

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 ...

south of the

Similkameen River The Similkameen River runs through southern British Columbia, Canada, eventually discharging into the Okanagan River near Oroville, Washington, in the United States. Through the Okanagan River, it drains to the Columbia River. The river is said ...

on the inland side of the range. The range is the northeasternmost extremity of the Cascade Range. According to

Fred Beckey Friedrich Wolfgang Beckey (14 January 1923 – 30 October 2017), known as Fred Beckey, was an American rock climber, mountaineer and book author, who in seven decades of climbing achieved hundreds of first ascents of the tallest peaks and best ro ...

there are differences of opinion about the names and locations of the subranges of the northern Cascades, especially between Canadian and American geographers. Nevertheless early

geologists A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...

and topographers had a fundamental agreement about the location and names of the subranges. The Okanagan Range was seen as bounded by the Pasayten River on the west and continuing east to

Chopaka Mountain Chopaka Mountain, also known as Mount Chopaka, is a summit in the leeward flank of the North Cascades. Its summit area is a Natural Area Preserve comprising , and features a mountain goat population and various rare plants. The last survivin ...

. The

Hozameen Range The Hozameen Range (spelled Hozomeen Range in the United States) is a mountain range in southwestern British Columbia and northern Washington, straddling the division between the Coast and Interior regions of that province. It is a subrange of ...

was seen as separated from the Okanagan Range by the Pasayten River. This definition of the Okanagan Range included most of today's

Pasayten Wilderness The Pasayten Wilderness is a protected area located within Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest and Mount Baker National Forest in Washington state, centered on the Three Forks () of the Pasayten River, a tributary of the Similkameen River. Al ...

and extending south to joins the main Cascade Range at Harts Pass, near the headwaters of the

Methow River The Methow River ( ) is a tributary of the Columbia River in northern Washington in the United States. The river's watershed drains the eastern North Cascades, with a population of about 5,000 people. The Methow's watershed is characterized by r ...

. The core of the Okanagan Range under this definition marks the divide between streams that flow north to the Similkameen River and those that flow south to the Methow River.

BCGNIS The BC Geographical Names (formerly BC Geographical Names Information System or BCGNIS) is a geographic name web service and database for the Canadian province of British Columbia run by the Base Mapping and Geomatic Services Branch of the Integra ...

defines the northern boundary of the Okanagan Range as Young Creek and the lower Ashnola River. Peakbagger.com defines the Okanogan Range as a much larger region bounded to the south by the Methow River and to the east by the

Okanagan River The Okanogan River (known as the Okanagan River in Canada) is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately 115 mi (185 km) long, in southern British Columbia and north central Washington. It drains a scenic plateau region called th ...

and Similkameen River. Cathedral Peak from Apex Pass

The Okanagan Range should not be confused with the

Okanagan Highland The Okanagan Highland is an elevated hilly plateau area in British Columbia, Canada, and the U.S. state of Washington (where it is spelled Okanogan Highlands). Rounded mountains with elevations up to above sea level and deep, narrow valleys are ...

, which is located on the farther side of the

Okanagan Valley The Okanagan ( ), also known as the Okanagan Valley and sometimes as the Okanagan Country, is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. It is part ...

and is sometimes classified as part of the

Monashee Mountains The Monashee Mountains are a mountain range lying mostly in British Columbia, Canada, extending into the U.S. state of Washington. They stretch from north to south and from east to west. They are a sub-range of the Columbia Mountains. The highes ...

. The eight highest mountains of the range are Mount Lago (8,745 ft), Robinson Mountain (8,726 ft), Remmel Mountain (8,690 ft), Grimface Mountain (8,645 ft), Ptarmigan Peak (8,614 ft), Cathedral Peak (8,606 ft),

Mount Carru Mount Carru is an mountain summit located in western Okanogan County, Washington, Okanogan County in Washington (U.S. state), Washington state. It is the 7th highest peak of the Okanogan Range, which is a sub-range of the North Cascades. The mo ...

(8,595 ft), and Monument Peak (8,592 ft).

References

Mountain ranges of British Columbia Mountain ranges of Washington (state) Similkameen Country Canadian Cascades North Cascades of Washington (state) {{Washington-geo-stub

See also

References