The Picket Range is a small, extremely rugged subrange of the North Cascades in the northwestern part of the American state of Washington. It is entirely contained within North Cascades National Park. It is about long, running northwest–southeast, and lies north of the Skagit River, west of Ross Lake, and east of Mounts Baker and Shuksan. There are at least 21 peaks in the range over high.
Swedish American Lage Wernstedt of the U.S. Forest Service mapped the Picket Range in the 1920s and named it for its resemblance to a picket fence (and not for George Pickett). Wernstedt was also apparently responsible for the names of the main peaks, including Mt. Challenger, Fury, Terror, and Phantom. These names first appeared on maps in 1931.
There are few trails in the Picket Range, and any excursion there has a strong wilderness character. Most of the access points are characterized as steep brush thick valleys, with little open terrain. Many of the peaks are challenging rock climbs. The rock is biotite gneiss, formed by metamorphism of sedimentary and volcanic rocks about 100 million years ago.
Notable Peaks of the Picket Range MountainHeightFirst ascent(ft)(m)Luna Peak 193819381936Poltergeist Pinnacle 20041932Crooked Thumb Peak 1940McMillan Spire 1940Phantom Peak 19401931Ghost Peak 1970Swiss Peak 1968The Pyramid 1951Twin Needles 1932Inspiration Peak 1940Spectre Peak 1980Himmelhorn 1961The Rake 1951Little Mac Spire 1969Ottohorn 1961Whatcom Peak 1936Frenzel Spitz 1961Mount Crowder 1962West Peak 19321932
See also List of mountain ranges in Washington
References
External links
The Picket Range on Summitpost
Photo of entire Picket Range: Flickr