The
Skagit Range is a subrange of the
Cascade RangeThe 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 southwestern
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
,
CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and northwestern Washington,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, which are known in Canada as the Canadian Cascades or, officially, the Cascade Mountains. The Skagit Range lies to the west of the
Skagit RiverThe Skagit River is a river in southwestern British Columbia in Canada and northwestern Washington in the United States, approximately 150 mi long...
and east and north of the Chilliwack River and flanks the Upper Fraser Valley region of British Columbia's
Lower MainlandThe Lower Mainland is a name commonly applied to the region surrounding and including Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. As of 2007, 2,524,113 people live in the region; sixteen of the province's thirty most populous municipalities are located there.While the term Lower Mainland has been...
.
Of the three subranges of the Canadian Cascades—the Skagit,
HozameenThe Hozameen Range is a mountain range in southwestern British Columbia and northern Washington, straddling the division between the Coast and Interior regions of that province...
, and
OkanaganThe Okanagan Range or Okanogan Range is a small subrange of the Cascade Range straddling the border between British Columbia and Washington south of the Similkameen River on the inland side of the range...
ranges—the Skagit is the most mountainous. It continues north to the
Fraser RiverThe Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
, sometimes using different local names. The Hope Mountains, and the "Anderson River Group" are separated from the main Skagit Range by distinct natural boundaries, but are otherwise similar in character.
Geography
According to
Fred BeckeyFred Beckey is an American mountaineer and author, who has made hundreds of first ascents, more than any other North American climber.-Early years:...
there are differences of opinion about the names and locations of the subranges of the northern Cascades, especially between Canadian and American geographers. Nervertheless early geologists and topographers had a fundamental agreement about the location and names of the subranges. The Skagit Range was seen as the mountainous area from the Skagit River northwest to the
Fraser RiverThe Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
. More recent Canadian maps show the Skagit Range as bounded to the west by the
SumalloThe Sumallo River is located in southern British Columbia, in the Cascade Mountains to the east of Hope. It begins on the east slopes of Mount Payne, south of the village of Sunshine Valley. It flows north until it reaches Sunshine Valley where it turns southeast and proceeds into Manning Park...
-
NicolumThe Nicolum River, formerly Nicolum Creek, is a tributary of the Coquihalla River, rising in the Cascade Mountains and flowing northwest to join that stream near the town of Hope, British Columbia, Canada...
valley and extending north along the east side of the
Coquihalla RiverThe Coquihalla River is located in the Cascade Mountains near the town of Hope, British Columbia. It originates in the Coquihalla Lakes and empties into the Fraser River at Hope....
.
BCGNISThe BC Geographical Names is a geographic name web service and database for British Columbia, Canada, which is run and maintained by the Base Mapping and Geomatic Services Branch of the Integrated Land Management Bureau...
defines the Skagit Range simply as "west of the Skagit River, extends into the U.S.A." The USGS defines the range in its GNIS database with a single point, 48°55′39"N 121°33′57"W, north of Granite Mountain. Peakbagger.com defines the Skagit Range as a large and not entirely mountainous region bounded by the Fraser River to the north, the Skagit River to the south and east, the
Strait of GeorgiaThe Strait of Georgia or the Georgia Strait is a strait between Vancouver Island and the mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is approximately long and varies in width from...
to the west, and the
Nicolum RiverThe Nicolum River, formerly Nicolum Creek, is a tributary of the Coquihalla River, rising in the Cascade Mountains and flowing northwest to join that stream near the town of Hope, British Columbia, Canada...
and
Sumallo RiverThe Sumallo River is located in southern British Columbia, in the Cascade Mountains to the east of Hope. It begins on the east slopes of Mount Payne, south of the village of Sunshine Valley. It flows north until it reaches Sunshine Valley where it turns southeast and proceeds into Manning Park...
on the northeast. This definition includes a sizable area of non-mountainous areas, especially along the lower Fraser River and near the coast.
Subranges include the Cheam Range, also known as the Four Brothers, and the
Picket RangeThe 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 is lies north of the Skagit River, west of...
.
Peaks/Summits
Notable summits include
Hope MountainHope Mountain, 1844m, commonly called Mount Hope, is a prominent mountain overlooking the town of Hope, British Columbia, Canada from the south. It is the northernmost summit of the Skagit Range of the Cascade Mountains and stands above the confluence of the Coquihalla and Fraser Rivers...
,
Mount BarrMount Barr is a mountain in the Skagit Range of the Cascade Mountains of southern British Columbia, Canada, located on the northeast side of Wahleach Lake and just southwest of Hope. It is a ridge highpoint with an elevation of ....
,
Cheam PeakCheam Peak, called Theeth-uhl-kay in the Halqemeylem language of the Sto:lo and usually referred to as Mount Cheam, is the farthest northerly peak of the Cheam Range, a subrange of the Skagit Range of the Canadian Cascades mountains. It dominates the eastern Fraser Valley, rising above Bridal Falls...
,
Slesse MountainSlesse Mountain, usually referred to as Mount Slesse, is a mountain just north of the US-Canada border, in the Cascade Mountains of British Columbia, near the town of Chilliwack. It is notable for its large, steep local relief. For example, its west face drops over to Slesse Creek in less than ....
, and the
AmericanAmerican Border Peak is a mountain just south of the US-Canada border, in the North Cascades of Washington state, with a corresponding sister peak, Canadian Border Peak, just north along a col connecting to it across the border. It is located within the Mount Baker Wilderness, part of the Mount...
-
Canadian Border PeakCanadian Border Peak, , originally known simply as Border Peak, is a mountain at the head of Slesse Creek in the Cascade Mountains of the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. As its name suggests, it is near the United States-Canada border and is connected via a high ridge or col to...
s.
External links