Mount Adams | |
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Pahto, Klickitat | |
Mount Adams from the west-northwest
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Highest point | |
Elevation | 12,281 ft (3,743 m) NAVD 88 |
Prominence | 8,116 ft (2,474 m) |
Isolation | 46.1 mi (74.2 km) |
Listing | |
Coordinates | 46°12′09″N 121°29′27″W / 46.202411792°N 121.490894694°WCoordinates: 46°12′09″N 121°29′27″W / 46.202411792°N 121.490894694°W |
Geography | |
Location | Yakima County / Skamania County, Washington, U.S. |
Parent range | Cascade Range |
Topo map | USGS Mount Adams East |
Geology | |
Age of rock | Less than 520,000 years |
Mountain type | Stratovolcano |
Volcanic arc | Cascade Volcanic Arc |
Last eruption | About 950 AD |
Climbing | |
First ascent | 1854 by A.G. Aiken and party |
Easiest route | South Climb Trail #183 |
Mount Adams, known by some Native American tribes as Pahto or Klickitat, is a potentially active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range. Although Adams has not erupted in more than 1,000 years, it is not considered extinct. It is the second-highest mountain in the U.S. state of Washington, after Mount Rainier.
Adams is a member of the Cascade Volcanic Arc, and is one of the arc's largest volcanoes, located in a remote wilderness approximately 34 miles (55 km) east of Mount St. Helens. The Mount Adams Wilderness consists of the upper and western part of the volcano's cone. The eastern side of the mountain is designated as part of the territory of the Yakama Nation.
Adams' asymmetrical and broad body rises 1.5 miles (2.4 km) above the Cascade crest. Its nearly flat summit was formed as a result of cone-building eruptions from separated vents. Air travelers flying the busy routes above the area sometimes confuse Mount Adams with nearby Mount Rainier, which has a similar flat-topped shape.
The Pacific Crest Trail traverses the western flank of the mountain.
Mount Adams stands 37 miles (60 km) east of Mount St. Helens and about 50 miles (80 km) south of Mount Rainier. It is 30 miles (48 km) north of the Columbia River and 55 miles (89 km) north of Mount Hood in Oregon. The nearest major cities are Yakima, 50 miles (80 km) to the northeast, and the Portland metropolitan area, 60 miles (97 km) to the southwest. Between half and two thirds of Adams is within the Mount Adams Wilderness of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The remaining area is within the Mount Adams Recreation Area of the Yakama Indian Reservation. While many of the volcanic peaks in Oregon are located on the Cascade Crest, Adams is the only active volcano in Washington to do so. It is further east than all the rest of Washington’s volcanoes except Glacier Peak.