Mount Fitzhenry is a 6,050-foot (1,840-metre) mountain summit located within Olympic National Park in Clallam County of Washington state.[4] Mt. Fitzhenry is in the Bailey Range, which is a subrange of the Olympic Mountains. In clear weather, the mountain can be seen from the visitor center at Hurricane Ridge. Its nearest higher neighbor is Mount Fairchild, 1.57 mi (2.53 km) to the south.[1] Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Elwha River. Mount Fitzhenry is situated at the head of Fitzhenry Creek, and both are named for Edward Allen Fitzhenry (1868–1937), Clallam County surveyor from 1892-1900.[5] President Woodrow Wilson appointed Fitzhenry as Washington Surveyor General in 1913, and he later served as Deputy State Land Commissioner.[6]

Mount Fitzhenry
Mount Fitzhenry from Hurricane Ridge
Highest point
Elevation	6,050 ft (1,840 m)[1]
Prominence	450 ft (140 m)[1]
Parent peak	Mount Fairchild (6,925 ft)[2]
Isolation	1.57 mi (2.53 km)[2]
Coordinates	47°55′22″N 123°37′50″W[1]
Geography
Mount Fitzhenry Location of Mount Fitzhenry in Washington Show map of Washington (state) Mount Fitzhenry Mount Fitzhenry (the United States) Show map of the United States
Location	Olympic National Park Clallam County, Washington, US
Parent range	Olympic Mountains
Topo map	USGS Mount Carrie
Geology
Age of rock	Eocene
Climbing
Easiest route	class 2 hiking[3] north ridge

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Mount Fitzhenry is located in the marine west coast climate zone of western North America.[7] Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean, and travel northeast toward the Olympic Mountains. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks of the Olympic Range, causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall (Orographic lift). As a result, the Olympics experience high precipitation, especially during the winter months. 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. In terms of favorable weather, the best months for viewing and climbing are July through September.

Geology

The Olympic Mountains are composed of obducted clastic wedge material and oceanic crust, primarily Eocene sandstone, turbidite, and basaltic oceanic crust.[8] The mountains were sculpted during the Pleistocene era by erosion and glaciers advancing and retreating multiple times.

Gallery

See also

• Olympic Mountains
• Geology of the Pacific Northwest

References

External links

• "Olympic National Park". National Park Service.
• Mount Fitzhenry: weather forecast
• Edward A. Fitzhenry biography