Dragontail Peak
Encyclopedia
Dragontail Peak, also known as Dragon Tail, is a mountain in the Stuart Range
, in Chelan County, Washington. While climbing an adjacent peak, Lex Maxwell, Bob McCall, and Bill Prater remarked that the needles on the crest, southwest of the summit, resembled a "dragon tail". The name was officially accepted in 1955. On the mountain's northeast flank lies Colchuck Lake which drains into Mountaineer Creek. On its south side the mountain drops steeply (50% slope) to Ingalls Creek, which flows about 5800 feet (1,767.8 m) below the summit.
The mountain, which lies in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness
, bordered by Mount Stuart
, Little Annapurna, and Cannon Mountain, is composed of a granite
formation that creates the Stuart Range. Dragontail is the second highest mountain in the range, second only to Mount Stuart which lies 3.2 miles (5.1 km) to the west and reaches 9415 feet (2,869.7 m).
The two needles, on ridge southwest of the summit which gave rise to its name, serve as formidable alpine climbing objectives that demand more than 20 pitches of sustained climbing. The area around Dragontail Peak is dominated by wilderness and is protected from development.
The Enchantments
, to northeast of Dragontail, is an area of towering peaks, year-round snow, and alpine lakes It forms the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.
Stuart Range
The Stuart Range is a mountain range in central Washington, USA. The range lies within the eastern extent of the Cascade Range immediately southwest of Leavenworth and runs east-west. The western peaks make up a single sharp ridge. The eastern half of the range splits into two parallel ridges,...
, in Chelan County, Washington. While climbing an adjacent peak, Lex Maxwell, Bob McCall, and Bill Prater remarked that the needles on the crest, southwest of the summit, resembled a "dragon tail". The name was officially accepted in 1955. On the mountain's northeast flank lies Colchuck Lake which drains into Mountaineer Creek. On its south side the mountain drops steeply (50% slope) to Ingalls Creek, which flows about 5800 feet (1,767.8 m) below the summit.
The mountain, which lies in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness
Alpine Lakes Wilderness
The Alpine Lakes Wilderness is a large wilderness area spanning the Cascade Range of Washington state in the United States. The wilderness is located in parts of Wenatchee National Forest and Snoqualmie National Forest, and is approximately bounded by Interstate 90 and Snoqualmie Pass to the south...
, bordered by Mount Stuart
Mount Stuart
Mount Stuart is a mountain in the Cascade Range, in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the second highest non-volcanic peak in the state, after Bonanza Peak and tenth-highest overall...
, Little Annapurna, and Cannon Mountain, is composed of a granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
formation that creates the Stuart Range. Dragontail is the second highest mountain in the range, second only to Mount Stuart which lies 3.2 miles (5.1 km) to the west and reaches 9415 feet (2,869.7 m).
The two needles, on ridge southwest of the summit which gave rise to its name, serve as formidable alpine climbing objectives that demand more than 20 pitches of sustained climbing. The area around Dragontail Peak is dominated by wilderness and is protected from development.
The Enchantments
The Enchantments
The Enchantments is an area comprising an upper and a lower basin, the lakes and tarns contained within them, and the peaks of the Stuart Range bounding the basins. The area is located entirely within the Alpine Lakes Wilderness about southwest of Leavenworth, Washington in the United States...
, to northeast of Dragontail, is an area of towering peaks, year-round snow, and alpine lakes It forms the heart of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness.