Mount Olympus (Washington)


Mount Olympus, at 7,980 feet, is the tallest and most prominent mountain in the Olympic Mountains of western Washington state. Located on the Olympic Peninsula, it is also the central feature of Olympic National Park. Mount Olympus is the highest summit of the Olympic Mountains; however, peaks such as Mount Constance, on the eastern margin of the range, are better known, being visible from the Seattle metropolitan area.

Description

With notable local relief, Mount Olympus ascends over from the elevation confluence of the Hoh River with Glacier Creek in only. Mount Olympus has of prominence, ranking 5th in the state of Washington.
Due to heavy winter snowfalls, Mount Olympus supports large glaciers, despite its modest elevation and relatively low latitude. These glaciers include Blue, Hoh, Humes, Jeffers, Hubert, Black Glacier, and White, the longest of which is the Hoh Glacier at. The largest is Blue with a volume of and area of. As with most temperate latitude glaciers, these have all been shrinking in area and volume, and shortening in recent decades.

History

The local Native American name for the peak is Sunh-a-do, and upon sighting in 1774 by the Spanish explorer Juan Pérez, the mountain was named Cerro Nevado de Santa Rosalía. This is said to be the first time a European named a geographic feature in what is now Washington state. In 1788, on July 4, the British explorer John Meares gave the mountain its present name.
In 1890 an expedition, led by US Army officer Joseph P. O'Neil, reached the summit, of what is today presumed to have been the southern peak.
On March 2, 1909, Mount Olympus National Monument was proclaimed by President Theodore Roosevelt. On June 28, 1938, it was designated a national park by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1976 the Olympic National Park became an International Biosphere Reserve. In 1981 it was designated a World Heritage Site. In 1988 Congress designated 95% of the park as the Olympic Wilderness.

Climate

Mt Olympus peak has a tundra climate with extremely heavy precipitation from October to April and heavy precipitation from May to September. A large part of this precipitation falls as snow. Mt Olympus west peak is the wettest place in mainland USA.