Mount Pugh

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title: "Mount Pugh" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["mountains-of-snohomish-county,-washington", "north-cascades-of-washington-(state)"] description: "Mountain in Washington (state), United States" topic_path: "general/mountains-of-snohomish-county-washington" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Pugh" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Mountain in Washington (state), United States ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox mountain"]

Field	Value
name	Mount Pugh
photo	File:Mt. Pugh.jpg
elevation_ft	7201
elevation_ref
prominence_ft	2801
prominence_ref
location	Snohomish County, Washington, U.S.
map	Washington#USA
map_caption	Location in Washington
mapframe	yes
mapframe-zoom	8
mapframe-caption	Interactive map of Mount Pugh
range	Cascade Range
coordinates
coordinates_ref
topo	USGS Pugh Mountain
first_ascent	1916 by Nels Bruseth
easiest_route	Scramble, class 2-3
::

| name = Mount Pugh | photo = File:Mt. Pugh.jpg | elevation_ft = 7201 | elevation_ref = | prominence_ft = 2801 | prominence_ref = | location = Snohomish County, Washington, U.S. | map = Washington#USA | map_caption = Location in Washington | mapframe = yes | mapframe-zoom = 8 | mapframe-caption = Interactive map of Mount Pugh | range = Cascade Range | coordinates = | range_coordinates = | coordinates_ref = | topo = USGS Pugh Mountain | first_ascent = 1916 by Nels Bruseth | easiest_route = Scramble, class 2-3

Mount Pugh (or Pugh Mountain, or native name Da Klagwats) is a peak near the western edge of the North Cascades, in Washington state. It is located 12.2 mi west of Glacier Peak, one of the Cascade stratovolcanoes. It rises out of the confluence of the White Chuck River (on the north) and the Sauk River (on the southwest), giving it very low footings. For example, it rises 6150 ft above the Sauk River Valley in just over 2 mi; its rise over the White Chuck River is almost as dramatic. The mountain is named for John Pugh, who settled nearby, in 1891.

According to Fred Beckey, "Nels Bruseth apparently made the first ascent in 1916". Earlier unrecorded ascents, including possibly much earlier Native American ascents, are possibilities, since the easiest ascent route is non-technical.

The trail to the summit is easily negotiable most of the way but the last 1.5 mi is along a razorback ridge with significant exposure. In 2022, a man died falling from the trail. This is the Northwest Ridge, Trail Number 644, which actually starts in the Sauk River Valley on the southwest side of the mountain. The total elevation gain is almost exactly one mile (5280 ft).

Climate

Mount Pugh is located in the marine west coast climate zone of western North America. Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean, and travel northeast toward the Cascade Mountains. As fronts approach the North Cascades, they are forced upward by the peaks of the Cascade Range (Orographic lift), causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the Cascades. As a result, the west side of the North Cascades experiences high precipitation, especially during the winter months in the form of snowfall. Due to its temperate climate and proximity to the Pacific Ocean, areas west of the Cascade Crest very rarely experience temperatures below 0 °F or above 80 °F. During winter months, weather is usually cloudy, but, due to high pressure systems over the Pacific Ocean that intensify during summer months, there is often little or no cloud cover during the summer. Because of maritime influence, snow tends to be wet and heavy, resulting in high avalanche danger.

Geology

The North Cascades features some of the most rugged topography in the Cascade Range with craggy peaks, ridges, and deep glacial valleys. Geological events occurring many years ago created the diverse topography and drastic elevation changes over the Cascade Range leading to the various climate differences.

The history of the formation of the Cascade Mountains dates back millions of years ago to the late Eocene Epoch. With the North American Plate overriding the Pacific Plate, episodes of volcanic igneous activity persisted. In addition, small fragments of the oceanic and continental lithosphere called terranes created the North Cascades about 50 million years ago.

During the Pleistocene period dating back over two million years ago, glaciation advancing and retreating repeatedly scoured the landscape leaving deposits of rock debris. The U-shaped cross section of the river valleys is a result of recent glaciation. Uplift and faulting in combination with glaciation have been the dominant processes which have created the tall peaks and deep valleys of the North Cascades area.

Gallery

File:Pugh from Painted Mountain.jpg|Pugh from Painted Mountain File:Pugh Mountain aka Mount Pugh.jpg|Pugh from Mountain Loop road File:Climbing Mount Pugh.jpg|Approaching the summit of Pugh

References

References

1. {{cite peakbagger. 1974. Mount Pugh, Washington. 2008-12-04
2. {{cite ngs. TQ0510. Pugh Mtn Lookout House. 2008-12-04
3. Beckey, Fred W.. (1996). "Cascade Alpine Guide, Vol. 2, Stevens Pass to Rainy Pass". [[The Mountaineers (club).
4. Romano, Craig. (2008). "Day hiking. North Cascades". [[The Mountaineers (club).
5. (9 September 2022). "Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office report for August". Lynnwood Times.
6. (19 August 2022). "Skagit County dentist dies in fall on Mt. Pugh near Darrington". HeraldNet.com.
7. Beckey, Fred W.. (2008). "[[Cascade Alpine Guide]]". [[The Mountaineers (club).
8. Kruckeberg, Arthur. (1991). "The Natural History of Puget Sound Country". University of Washington Press.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::