The Needles (Olympic Mountains)
The Needles is a rugged mountain ridge in Olympic National Park, Washington, within the Olympic Mountains and the Daniel J. Evans Wilderness. The highest point is Mount Johnson at 7,680 feet (2,340 meters). The ridge runs about 2 miles long and 1 mile wide, and it sits between Mount Deception to the south and Gray Wolf Ridge to the north.
Old-growth forests of Douglas fir, western hemlock, and western redcedar grow on the lower slopes around The Needles. Precipitation drains east into Royal Creek and west into the Gray Wolf River, both part of the Dungeness River system.
The Needles’ name is officially recognized today. It was previously called the Holmes Range by the 1889–90 Seattle Press Expedition, which also named Mount Deception Mount Holmes.
Climate is marine west coast: Pacific weather fronts bring a lot of rain and snow, especially in winter. Summers tend to be clearer, with July through September offering the best visiting weather.
Geology and formation: The Olympic Mountains are made mainly of Eocene rocks and were shaped by glaciers during the Pleistocene. The Needles is a prominent, glacier-influenced ridge in this range.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 14:11 (CET).