Baring Mountain
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Baring Mountain rises to 1,858 m in Washington. Gunnshy Peak stands 1,895 m to the north-northwest, 3.2 miles off. The nearest named place is Grotto Mountain, a peak 1.3 miles away. JCT WOODS CREEK RD NEAR MONROE TO JCT US 97 NEAR PESHASTIN passes 2.1 miles off.
The story
Baring Mountain (or Mount Baring), is a peak in the central part of the Cascade Range of Washington, United States. It lies about 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of the Skykomish River and US Highway 2, at the western edge of the Cascades in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. It is about 6 miles (9.7 km) east of Mount Index and Barclay Lake at its base is accessible via Forest Road 6024 and a 2.2-mile (3.5 km) hike. Baring Mountain was previously known as Mount Index before being renamed in 1917. The peak currently named Mount Index was known as West Index Mountain until that time. Like Mount Index, Baring Mountain is a dramatic peak, because of its steep rise above low footings, the Skykomish River is at an elevation of only 760 feet (230 m), and particularly because of its large, sheer Northeast Face, which drops about 750 m (2,460 ft) in only 250 m (820 ft) and drops another 1,250 ft (380 m) at a lower angle to Barclay Lake. The first recorded ascent of Baring Mountain was on July 28, 1897, by John Charlton and Albert H. Sylvester. However given the nontechnical nature of the easiest ascent route a much earlier Native American ascent is possible. The standard route on the mountain is the Northwest Ridge Route, involving hiking (off-trail, some of it through brush) and a small amount of scrambling at the top. The northeast aspect of the peak is home to several routes of great length and technical difficulty (up to Grade VI, 5.12b). The northeast face was first climbed on July 13, 1960, by Ed Cooper and Don Gordon Claunch. The first BASE jump off Baring Mountain was done by Todd Higley and Josh Whipple, in August 2001. Michael McMurtrey, of Seattle, was the first to jump from Baring using a wingsuit, in June 2004. In August 2025, a man died after BASE jumping off of the mountain.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q1950371, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 1858 m
How to reach it
- 2.1 mi off the JCT WOODS CREEK RD NEAR MONROE TO JCT US 97 NEAR PESHASTIN
- 2.1 mi off the Stevens Pass Greenway, National
- 2.1 mi off the Cascade Loop, National
- 24.2 mi off the JCT SR 522 TO JCT SR 90 VIC NORTH BEND
Overlooks nearby
- Canyon Falls Viewpoint · 6 mi
- Bridal Veil Falls Viewpoint · 6 mi
- Bridal Veil Falls viewpoint · 6 mi
- Valley Overlook · 6 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Grotto Mountain: 1.3 mi
- Merchant Peak (Southeast): 1.4 mi
- Merchant Peak (Northwest): 1.5 mi
- Grotto Mountain: 1.9 mi
- Wing Peak: 1.9 mi
- Eagle Falls: 3.8 mi
- Canyon Falls: 4.9 mi
- Sunset Falls: 5.5 mi
- Bridal Veil Falls-Lower East Cascade: 6.2 mi
- Bridal Veil Falls-Mine Cascade: 6.2 mi
- Baring Community Park: 2.5 mi
- Heybrook Ridge Park: 6.0 mi
- Great Northern & Cascade Railway Park: 6.0 mi
- Skykomish City Ball Park: 6.2 mi
- Big Eddy River Access: 11.1 mi
- Old Skykomish Hotel: 6.0 mi
- Apex Mine Lower Tram Terminal & Mill ruins: 6.2 mi
- Apex Mine Equipment Relics: 6.8 mi
- Bus: 10.3 mi
- Ore Concentrator: 14.3 mi
- Moai: 6.5 mi
- Peanuts Gallery: 6.5 mi
- Index Town Wall: 6.5 mi
- Index Town Wall: 6.7 mi
- Index Town Wall: 6.8 mi
- Caboose: 13.6 mi
- Monte Cristo: 14.4 mi
- Goat Farm: 23.6 mi
- Vintage Big Carousel: 23.7 mi
- Northwest Canoe Adventure: 23.7 mi
- South Fork Tolt Reservoir Watershed: 11.1 mi
- Deception Falls Picnic Area: 12.0 mi
- Henry M. Jackson Hydroelectric Project: 15.9 mi
- Moss Lake Natural Area: 20.2 mi
- Chinook Bend Natural Area: 23.9 mi
- Heybrook Lookout Picnic Area: 4.7 mi
- Bear Creek Site: 15.7 mi
- Nighthawk Site: 15.7 mi
- Group Picnic Shelter: 16.3 mi
- Camp Brown Day Use Area: 17.0 mi
- Skykomish Historical Society: 6.0 mi
- Great Northern and Cascade Railways: 6.0 mi
- Skykomish Historical Society: 6.1 mi
- Camlann Medieval Village: 22.7 mi
- Washington State Ski & Snowboard Museum: 24.8 mi
- Alpine: 10.3 mi
- Scenic: 13.8 mi
- Monte Cristo: 14.4 mi
- Wellington: 14.9 mi
- Garland Mineral Springs: 8.7 mi
- Scenic Hot Springs: 14.7 mi
- Goldmyer Hot Springs: 20.7 mi
- Iron Goat Rest Area: 13.6 mi
- Travelers Rest Rest Area: 24.8 mi
- Sultan Materials: 17.1 mi
- Kokopelli Gardens: 24.5 mi
- Axelilia: 20.2 mi
- The Red Goblet: 24.9 mi
- Normandy Beach: 13.8 mi
- Soda Spring: 22.3 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 10.4 miles of Baring Mountain. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gunnshy Peak | NNW 339° | 1,895 m | 3.2 mi |
| Spire Mountain | NNE 13° | 1,893.7 m | 6.1 mi |
| Gunn Peak | NNW 348° | 1,887 m | 2.6 mi |
| Mount Fernow | E 100° | 1,882 m | 9.7 mi |
| Merchant Peak (Northwest) | N 7° | 1,863 m | 1.5 mi |
| Mount Index | W 267° | 1,826 m | 6.7 mi |
| Townsend Mountain | ENE 56° | 1,809 m | 2.4 mi |
| Lennox Mountain | SSW 193° | 1,789 m | 7.9 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:09 | 18:38 | 19:19 |
| June solstice | 05:08 | 20:20 | 21:09 |
| September equinox | 06:53 | 18:25 | 19:05 |
| December solstice | 07:53 | 15:23 | 16:17 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Sep.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 37 | 39 | 43 | 48 | 55 | 59 | 64 | 65 | 60 | 50 | 42 | 36 |
| Precip in | 16.7 | 10.6 | 11.9 | 8.4 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 4.8 | 12.3 | 18.1 | 14.6 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Baring, 2 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidata- USGS Geographic Names Information System feature 1516135 — Baring Mountain, King County, Washington.
OpenStreetMap element node/349018479
Day trips start here
- Stevens Pass · 16 mi
- Monroe · 25 mi
- Snoqualmie · 25 mi
- North Bend · 26 mi
- Snoqualmie Pass · 27 mi
- King County · 28 mi
Take the scenic way to Baring Mountain.
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