Mount Stuart is a mountain

Mountain

Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...

 in the Cascade Range

Cascade Range

The Cascade Range 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, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades...

, in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Washington. It is the second highest non-volcanic peak in the state, after Bonanza Peak and tenth-highest overall. Mount Stuart is the highest peak in the Stuart Range

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,...

, and it is located in the central part of the Washington Cascades, south of Stevens Pass

Stevens Pass

Stevens Pass is a mountain pass through the Cascade Mountains located at the border of King County and Chelan County in Washington, United States....

 and east of Snoqualmie Pass

Snoqualmie Pass

Snoqualmie Pass is a mountain pass that carries Interstate 90 through the Cascade Range in the U.S. State of Washington. The elevation of the pass summit is , and is on the county line between Kittitas County and King County...

 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...

.

Mount Stuart was given its name by George B. McClellan

George B. McClellan

George Brinton McClellan was a major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union...

 on August 26, 1853, in honor of his oldest and best friend, "the late Capt. Jas. Stuart of the Rifles—a gallant soldier & accomplished gentleman."

Like many Cascade peaks, Mount Stuart is more notable for its local relief than for its absolute elevation. For example, the south face rises 5000 feet (1,524 m) in just 2 horizontal miles (3.2 km). The northeast and northwest sides of the mountain exhibit similar steep relief. Due to its location away from higher peaks, Mount Stuart has a topographic prominence

Topographic prominence

In topography, prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height, shoulder drop , or prime factor , categorizes the height of the mountain's or hill's summit by the elevation between it and the lowest contour line encircling it and no higher summit...

 of 5354 feet (1,631.9 m), making it the sixth most prominent in the state. The rock of Mount Stuart is unusually rugged and unstable, due to the extensive jointing of the granite.

It is not known for sure who made the first ascent of Mount Stuart. According to Fred Beckey

Fred Beckey

Fred Beckey is an American mountaineer and author, who has made hundreds of first ascents, more than any other North American climber.-Early years:...

: "Claude Rusk... was told by Frank Bryant of Yakima about finding a stick at the summit bearing the name `Angus McPherson—1873.' A. H. Sylvester, who climbed to the summit in 1897 and 1899 for triangulation, believed the first ascent was made by Richard U. Goode and Frank Tweedy during the Northern Pacific land survey about 1890 or 1885." Also, since the easiest route is not technical, a much earlier Native American

Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

 ascent is a possibility.

The standard route is the Southeast Route, which has several variations. All of these ascend gullies on the southeast slopes of the mountain to a false summit just southeast of the main summit, and finish along a short ridge. The route involves scrambling

Scrambling

Scrambling is a method of ascending rocky faces and ridges. It is an ambiguous term that lies somewhere between hillwalking and rock climbing. It is often distinguished from hillwalking by defining a scramble as a route where hands must be used in the ascent...

, and often, steep snow. Far more technical climbs are available on the complex north face of the mountain.