Wenatchee Mountains
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The Wenatchee Mountains are a range of mountains in central Washington State, United States of America. A major subrange of the Cascade Range, extending east Template:Convert from the Cascade crest, the Wenatchee Mountains separate the drainage basins of the Yakima River from the Wenatchee River.<ref name=beckey>Template:Cite book</ref> The crest of the range forms part of the boundary between Chelan and Kittitas Counties.
Extent
Fred Beckey describes the Wenatchee Mountains as the area between the Wenatchee and Yakima rivers and Stevens Pass. Among the range's significant features he describes are Mount Stuart, the second highest non-volcanic peak in Washington and one of the largest single granitic mountains in the United States, the Cashmere Crags, the Lost World Plateau, Edward Plateau, and Dragontail Plateau, the Enchantment Lakes Basin ("one of the most marvelous examples of an ice-sculpted wilderness in the Cascade Range″), Icicle Creek and its narrow, U-shaped valley over Template:Convert deep, one of the deepest in the Cascades, and the Wenatchee River's unusual winding Tumwater Canyon gorge.<ref name=beckey/>
According to Peakbagger.com the Wenatchee Mountains are defined as bounded by U.S. Route 2 from Stevens Pass to Wenatchee on the Columbia River, then down the Columbia River to Interstate 90, then west along the highway to the vicinity of Cle Elum and Roslyn, then north along Cle Elum Lake and the Cle Elum River and north to Stevens Pass.<ref name=pb>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Subranges of the Wenatchee Mountains and their highest peaks as defined by Peakbagger.com are the Chiwaukum Mountains (Big Chiwaukum Mountain, Template:Convert), North Wenatchee Mountains (Cashmere Mountain, Template:Convert), Stuart Range (Mount Stuart, Template:Convert), the Teanaway Area (Ingalls Peak, Template:Convert), and the Mission-Naneum Ridges (Mission Peak, Template:Convert).<ref name=pb/> Peakbagger.com also defines and names the mountain regions bordering the Wenatchee Mountains. These are the Alpine Lakes Area to the west, South Cascade Crest to the south, Glacier Peak-North Stevens Pass area to the northwest, and the Entiat Mountains to the northeast.<ref name=pb/>
The USGS GNIS defines the range with a simple list seven points in a line, running from approximately Paddy-Go-Easy Pass and Granite Mountain to approximately Blewett Pass and Naneum Creek.<ref name=gnis>Template:GNIS</ref>
Major Peaks
Partial list of peaks: Template:GeoGroup
- Mount Stuart - Template:Convert - Template:Coord<ref>Template:Cite gnis</ref>
- Dragontail Peak - Template:Convert - Template:Coord<ref>Template:Cite gnis</ref>
- Colchuck Peak - Template:Convert - Template:Coord<ref>Template:Cite gnis</ref>
- Cannon Mountain - Template:Convert - Template:Coord<ref>Template:Cite gnis</ref>
- Sherpa Peak - Template:Convert - Template:Coord<ref>Template:Cite gnis</ref>
- Enchantment Peak - Template:Convert - Template:Coord<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Witches Tower - Template:Convert - Template:Coord<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Cashmere Mountain - Template:Convert - Template:Coord<ref>Template:Cite gnis</ref>
- Argonaut Peak - Template:Convert - Template:Coord<ref>Template:Cite gnis</ref>
- Little Annapurna - Template:Convert - Template:Coord<ref>Template:Cite gnis</ref>
- McClellan Peak - Template:Convert - Template:Coord<ref>Template:Cite gnis</ref>
- Eightmile Mountain - Template:Convert - Template:Coord<ref>Template:Cite gnis</ref>
- The Cradle - Template:Convert - Template:Coord<ref>Template:Cite gnis</ref>
- Hawkins Mountain - Template:Convert - Template:Coord<ref>Template:Cite gnis</ref>
- Granite Mountain - Template:Convert - Template:Coord<ref>Template:Cite gnis</ref>
- Earl Peak - Template:Convert - Template:Coord<ref>Template:Cite gnis</ref>
- Mac Peak - Template:Convert - Template:Coord<ref>Template:Cite gnis</ref>
- Three Brothers - Template:Convert - Template:Coord<ref>Template:Cite gnis</ref>
- Thunder Mountain Lakes Peak - Template:ConvertTemplate:Citation needed
- Trico Mountain - Template:Convert - Template:Coord<ref>Template:Cite gnis</ref>
- Thunder Mountain - Template:Convert - Template:Coord<ref>Template:Cite gnis</ref>
- Slippery Slab Tower - Template:Convert - Template:Coord<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Natural history
The Wenatchee Mountains are in the rain shadow of the main Cascade Range and hence are drier and have fewer trees. This comparative lack of trees offers good wildflower displays and wide views. Serpentine soils are found within the Wenatchee Mountains, modifying the plant communities in those areas.<ref name=Kruckeberg>Template:Cite journal</ref>
The Wenatchee Mountains are home to a number of rare, endemic, or disjunct plant species, including Androsace nivalis var. dentata, Claytonia megarhiza var. nivalis, Delphinium viridescens, Lewisiopsis tweedyi, Trifolium thompsonii, and Valeriana columbiana.<ref name=Kruckeberg/> The Wenatchee Mountains checkermallow (Sidalcea oregano var. calva) occurs only along Peshastin Creek, south of Leavenworth, Washington. It is the rarest plant in Washington, and is now on the endangered species list.