| Mount Bailey | |
|---|---|
 Mount Bailey from Diamond Lake | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 8,375 ft (2,553 m) NAVD 88[1] |
| Prominence | 2,968 ft (905 m)[2] |
| Coordinates | 43°09′19″N122°13′12″W / 43.155144764°N 122.219995761°W /43.155144764; -122.219995761[1] |
| Geography | |
  Mount Bailey Location in Oregon | |
| Location | Douglas County,Oregon, U.S. |
| Parent range | Cascade Range |
| Topo map | USGS Diamond Lake |
| Geology | |
| Formed by | Subduction zonevolcanism |
| Mountain type(s) | Shield volcano,tephra cone |
| Volcanic arc | Cascade Volcanic Arc |
| Last eruption | Less than 100,000 years ago[3] |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Trailhike[4] |
Mount Bailey is a relatively youngtephra cone andshield volcano in theCascade Range, located on the opposite side ofDiamond Lake fromMount Thielsen in southernOregon, United States. Bailey consists of a 2,000-foot (610 m)-high main cone on top of an oldbasaltic andesite shieldvolcano. With a volume of 8 to 9 km3 (1.9 to 2.2 cu mi), Mount Bailey is slightly smaller than neighboringDiamond Peak.[5] Mount Bailey is a popular destination for recreational activities. Well known in thePacific Northwest region as a haven for skiing in the winter months, the mountain's transportation, instead of a conventionalchairlift, is provided bysnowcats—treaded, tractor-like vehicles that can ascend Bailey's steep, snow-covered slopes and carry skiers to the higher reaches of the mountain. In the summer months, a 5-mile (8 km) hiking trail gives foot access to Bailey's summit.[4] Mount Bailey is one ofOregon's Matterhorns.
Native Americans are credited with the first ascents of Bailey. Spiritual leaders held feasts and prayer vigils on the summit.[6]
The origin of the mountain's name is a matter of dispute. Older maps show its name as either "Old Baldy" or "Old Bailey", "Bailey" possibly being a drafting error. The summit's bald, burnt-over appearance might indicate the origin of the designation "Baldy". No record of a person named Bailey who was connected with the peak has been found. In 1992, theOregon Geographic Names Board voted to name the mountain in honor ofnaturalistsVernon andFlorence Bailey. According toWilliam G. Steel, theKlamath name for the mountain wasYouxlokes, which means "Medicine Mountain". According to Klamath tradition, their medicine men and priests would feast on the mountain's summit and commune with the upper world.[6]
Mount Bailey is part of theHigh Cascades in the western United States. The High Cascades have long been glaciated, by both Pacific-bred storms and natural, elevation-caused, glaciation. In fact, glaciation probably formed on them as early as the lateMiocene. Over time, as the range built up, newer activity diminished olderTertiary age rock. Creatinglava plateaus,Pliocene activity, mostly basaltic and andesitic, was probably responsible for the original cones at Bailey, Thielsen, andUnion Peak.[7]
Mount Bailey heads the Mount Bailey chain, which consists of the mountain and smallercinder cones trending north. Similarly to its neighborMount Thielsen, it is ashield volcano with precipitous summit slopes. Built around the same time as Rodley Butte, according to morphological study, the current volcano is no more than 100,000 years old, and formed relatively close toDiamond Peak's current cone. Despite its similarity to Rodley Butte, both in age and original composition, Bailey switched from eruptingbasalticandesite toandesite.[8]
Bailey is comprised by a centraltephra cone, upon which basaltic andesite eruptions streamed over, building up to create the current volcano.[9] Eventually switching to andesite,[8] it may have been built over several eruptions or even eruptive periods, judging from thesilicic nature of its rock.[9] It is currentlyinactive, having been since approximately the timeMount Mazama became active, sometime in the earlyPleistocene epoch.[10]
Diverse flora exists on Mount Bailey. Starting at the lower slopes, the prominent tree type is standardpine, eventually changing to a landscape ofmountain hemlock,western white pine, and Shastafir.[11]
Bailey is a popular hiking and skiing site, due to its steep climbs and views ofDiamond Lake. It is accessible fromOregon Route 230, starting at the Fox Spring trailhead.[12] Following the Mount Bailey Trail, part of the Diamond Lake Recreational Area,[13] hikers can see "panoramas to the northeast of Diamond Lake and Bailey's dizzying avalanche bowl".[11] To skiers, the peak is known for its method of transportation, featuringsnowcats.[11]
