| Mount Mystery | |
|---|---|
 Mount Mystery's west face | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 7,639 ft (2,328 m)[1] |
| Prominence | 1,119 ft (341 m)[1] |
| Parent peak | Mount Deception[2] |
| Isolation | 1.32 mi (2.12 km)[2] |
| Coordinates | 47°47′45″N123°13′17″W / 47.795903°N 123.221465°W /47.795903; -123.221465[1] |
| Geography | |
  Mount Mystery Location of Mount Mystery in Washington Show map of Washington (state) Mount Mystery Mount Mystery (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Jefferson |
| Protected area | Olympic National Park |
| Parent range | Olympic Mountains |
| Topo map | USGSMount Deception |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | Eocene |
| Rock type | Tilted pillowBasalt |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | class 3scrambling[2] |
Mount Mystery is a prominent 7,639-foot (2,328-metre) mountain summit located in theOlympic Mountains inJefferson County ofWashington state. It is located withinOlympic National Park on theOlympic Peninsula. Mount Mystery is the sixth-highest peak of the Olympic Mountains, afterMount Olympus,Mount Deception,Mount Constance,Mount Johnson, andInner Constance.[3] Its nearest higher neighbor is Mount Deception, 1.32 mi (2.12 km) to the north-northwest.Little Mystery (6,941 ft) is a subsidiary summit south of Mount Mystery.[1]
Mount Mystery is located in the eastern portion of the Olympic Mountains just south of Mount Deception at the headwaters of Deception Creek. This location puts it in therain shadow of the Olympic Range, resulting in far less precipitation than Mount Olympus and the western Olympics receive.
Mount Mystery sits on the boundary between thedrainage basins of theDungeness River, to the north, and theDosewallips River to the east. Deception Creek, a tributary of the Dosewallips River, drains the east and west slopes of Mount Mystery, including a small melting glacier on the east side referred to colloquially as Mystery Glacier.
Mount Mystery was given its toponym circa 1915 by G.A. Whitehead of theU.S. Forest Service because he admired its regal appearance in foggy weather.[4]
Based on theKöppen climate classification, Mount Mystery is located in themarine west coast climate zone of western North America.[5]Weather fronts originating in the Pacific Ocean travel northeast toward the Olympic Mountains. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks (orographic lift), causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snow. As a result, the Olympics experience high precipitation, especially during the winter months in the form of snowfall.[6] Because ofmaritime influence, snow tends to be wet and heavy, resulting inavalanche danger. 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.[6] The months July through September offer the most favorable weather for viewing and climbing this mountain.
The Olympic Mountains are composed ofobductedclastic wedge material and oceanic crust, primarilyEocenesandstone,turbidite, andbasaltic oceanic crust.[7] The mountains were sculpted during thePleistocene era by erosion and glaciers advancing and retreating multiple times.
While not a particularly technical climb, Mount Mystery is steep and exposed. If a climber falls and does not arrest immediately, loose rock and rotten snow may make it difficult to stop falling for some distance. The nearbyNeedles are typically regarded as providing better, and somewhat more difficult, mountaineering objectives in the Royal Basin area.
