Kyes Peak

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Kyes Peak is a mountain in the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness in Snohomish County, Washington, part of the Cascade Range. It rises to about 7,280 feet (2,220 meters) and is the highest point in the Monte Cristo group. The peak is in a basin with Columbia Peak and Monte Cristo Peak, near Blanca Lake and the Columbia Glacier.

The peak has also been called Goblin Peak. It was once mapped as Goblin Peak and was known to some as Mount Michigan. The name Kyes honors James Ellsworth Kyes, who, with Reginald Bachelder, climbed the mountain on August 15, 1920 as members of the Everett Boy Scouts. The U.S. Geological Survey later renamed it to recognize Kyes’ sacrifice as a naval commander in the Battle of the Atlantic. An earlier ascent was likely made in 1897 by Thomas Gerdine of the USGS.

Kyes Peak sits in a marine west coast climate. Weather usually comes from the Pacific and brings lots of precipitation to the Cascades, especially in winter, creating heavy, wet snow and high avalanche danger. The North Cascades are rugged, with sharp peaks and deep, glacier-carved valleys. The ranges formed over millions of years from volcanic activity and pieces of crust that joined the area, and glaciers in the Pleistocene era further shaped the landscape.