The Tatoosh Range is a

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

located in

Mount Rainier National Park Mount Rainier National Park is an American national park located in southeast Pierce County and northeast Lewis County in Washington state. The park was established on March 2, 1899, as the fourth national park in the United States, preservi ...

and the adjacent

Tatoosh Wilderness The Tatoosh Wilderness is a designated wilderness in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Washington in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The wilderness protects managed by the U.S. Forest Service. It was officially designate ...

in the state of

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 on ...

, in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

region of the

United States 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 primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

.Mandrake
"Tatoosh Range."
SummitPost.org, 2006. Accessed on July 15, 2011. The range runs roughly east–west, beginning with the southeastern Moon Mountain and concluding with the western Rainbow Mountain and Eagle Peak. The range includes 25 prominent named

peaks Peak or The Peak may refer to: Basic meanings Geology * Mountain peak ** Pyramidal peak, a mountaintop that has been sculpted by erosion to form a point Mathematics * Peak hour or rush hour, in traffic congestion * Peak (geometry), an (''n''-3)-di ...

. The peaks average nearly in summit elevation, with the highest,

Unicorn Peak Unicorn Peak is the highest point in the Tatoosh Range which is a sub-range of the Cascade Range. It's located in Mount Rainier National Park, south of Mount Rainier. The descriptive name is for the mountain's resemblance to the head and hor ...

, measuring at a height of ."Park Map."
National Park Service. Accessed on July 15, 2011. Visitors to

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 ...

can view the range from the

Paradise In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in paradis ...

area,"Building isn't quite paradise."
''Eugene Register-Guard,'' June 14, 1999. Accessed on July 15, 2011, from Google News Archive. and the range is popular with hikers.

History

While some of the peaks, including the distinctive Unicorn Peak, are named for their appearance, others are named in honor of notable individuals. Lane Peak, for example, honors

Franklin Knight Lane Franklin Knight Lane (July 15, 1864 – May 18, 1921) was an American progressive politician from California. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as United States Secretary of the Interior from 1913 to 1920. He also served as a commi ...

, former

United States Secretary of the Interior The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natural ...

."Named in Lane's Memory."
''The New York Times'' November 5, 1921. Accessed on July 15, 2011, from Google News Archive. Like other ranges, the Tatoosh Range has seen its share of casualties. In 1924, an assistant mountain guide named Paul Moser fell to his death attempting to scale Unicorn Peak by a new route."Mountain Guide Falls to Death."
''Spokane Daily Chronicle,'' August 23, 1924. Accessed on July 15, 2011, from Google News Archive. In 2004, 16-year-old Vasiliy Kozorezov fell and died while hiking off-trail below the Eagle Peak Trail.
''The Seattle Times,'' November 14, 2004. Accessed on July 15, 2011 from Google News Archive. Unexpected or extreme weather conditions can also cause problems. In 1946, heavy fog caused park employees Donald Carlson and James Pratt to get lost in the range for two days, but as the weather improved, they were able to find their way back."Missing Rainier Employes Return."
''Ellensburg Daily Record,'' August 17, 1946. In 1910, a

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

crew made the first recorded summit of the peaks. In the 1920s and 1930s, farmers regularly let their cattle graze along the Tatoosh Range. In 1937, attempts were made to film the movie '' Thin Ice'' on location, but blizzards made it impossible, so the crew and actors

Tyrone Power Tyrone Edmund Power III (May 5, 1914 – November 15, 1958) was an American actor. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Power appeared in dozens of films, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads. His better-known films include '' Jesse James'', ...

and

Sonja Henie Sonja Henie (8 April 1912 – 12 October 1969) was a Norway, Norwegian figure skating, figure skater and film star. She was a three-time List of Olympic medalists in figure skating, Olympic champion (Figure skating at the 1928 Winter Olympics, ...

returned to California to shoot the movie in a studio, while director Dave Butler and a cameraman stayed behind to collect footage of the Tatoosh Range to use for the background images."Mountain Won't Be Movie Actor; Company Leaves."
''Ellensburg Daily Record,'' April 9, 1937. Accessed on July 16, 2011, from Google News Archive.

Peaks

Peaks in the Tatoosh Range include: *

: 6,971 ft. (2,125m) * West Unicorn Peak: 6,840 ft. (2,085m) *Boundary Peak: 6,780 ft. (2,067m) * Stevens Peak: 6,580 ft. (2,006m) * Pinnacle Peak: 6,562 ft. (2,000m) * Foss Peak (Manatee Mountain): 6,524 ft. (1,989m) * The Castle: 6,460 ft. (1,969m) *Bench Peak: 6,401 ft. (1,951m) * Plummer Peak: 6,370 ft. (1,942m) * Tatoosh Peak: 6,310 ft. (1,923m) *Blue Peak: 6,235 ft. (1,900m) * Wahpenayo Peak: 6,231 ft. (1899m) *Cliff Peak: 6,153 ft. (1,875m) *Packwood Peak: 6,050 ft. (1,844m) * Chutla Peak: 6,020 ft. (1,835m) * Lane Peak: 6,012 ft. (1,832m) *

Denman Peak Denman Peak is a small 6,006 ft summit in the Tatoosh Range which is a sub-range of the Cascade Range. It's located south of Mount Rainier within Mount Rainier National Park. Denman Peak is situated east of Lane Peak and west of Pinnac ...

: 6,006 ft. (1,831m) *Fizrenken Peak: 5,961 ft. (1,817m) *Carter Peak: 5,958 ft. (1,816m) *Butter Peak: 5,919 ft. (1,804m) *

Eagle Peak Eagle Peak is the name of 44 mountain peaks of the United States including: *Eagle Peak (Alaska) * Eagle Peak (Admiralty Island), in Alaska * Eagle Peak (Washington), a summit in Mount Rainier National Park *Eagle Peak (Mariposa County, California), ...

: 5,908 ft. (1,801m) *Johnson Peak: 5,868 ft. (1,789m) *The Backbone: 5,831 ft. (1,777m) *Moon Mountain: 5,096 ft. (1,553m) *Rainbow Mountain: 4,868 ft. (1,484m)

Recreation

During the summer, the Tatoosh Range is a popular attraction for

hikers Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

. From within Mount Rainier National Park, the range can be accessed from Eagle Peak Trailhead, Pinnacle Peak Trailhead, and Snow Lake Trailhead. Tatoosh Peak and Butter Peak are located outside of Mount Rainier National Park, but may be accessed from the Tatoosh Wilderness Area. Some peaks are able to be reached by

hillwalking Walking is one of the most popular outdoor recreational activities in the United Kingdom, and within England and Wales there is a comprehensive network of rights of way that permits access to the countryside. Furthermore, access to much uncultiv ...

, while others can only be summited on

alpine route An alpine route is a trail or climbing route through difficult terrain in high mountains such as the Alps, sometimes with no obvious path. In the Alps, the Alpine clubs define and mark an ''alpine route'', also called ''alpinweg'' or ''alpinwande ...

s by

scrambling Scrambling is a mountaineering term for ascending steep terrain using one's hands to assist in holds and balance.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. It is also used to describe terrain that falls between hiking and rock climbing (as a “scramb ...

and

rock climbing Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically and ...

. In the winter, the range is used by

skiers Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IO ...

King, Gordon
"Backcountry skiers glide across a semi-melted lake."
''Seattle Times,'' September 5, 2009. Accessed on July 15, 2011. and

snowshoe Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footwe ...

rs.Sykes, Karen
"Hike Of The Week: A peaceful path to a lofty perch."
''Seattle Post-Intelligencer,'' December 8, 2004. Accessed on July 15, 2011, from Google News Archive.

References

External links

Tatoosh Range Webcam
{{Authority control Mountain ranges of Washington (state) Mount Rainier National Park

History

Peaks

Recreation

See also

References

External links