Skip to content

Big Lou

Big Lou, seen from above at true elevation

Big Lou rises to 2,172 m in Washington. Mount Stuart stands 2,871 m to the south, 11 miles off. The nearest named place is Big Lou Mountain, a peak 0.5 miles away. JCT WOODS CREEK RD NEAR MONROE TO JCT US 97 NEAR PESHASTIN passes 5.9 miles off.

The story

Big Lou is a 7,780+ ft (2,370+ m) mountain summit located in Chelan County of Washington state. It is situated 8.5 mi (13.7 km) west-northwest of Leavenworth, on the boundary of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, and on land managed by the Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest. Big Lou is the highest point on Icicle Ridge, and is the third-highest peak in the Chiwaukum Mountains, a subset of the Cascade Range. Its nearest higher neighbor is Snowgrass Mountain, 5 mi (8.0 km) to the northwest, and slightly lower Big Jim Mountain is set 1.75 mi (2.82 km) to the north-northeast. Precipitation runoff from Big Lou drains into Icicle Creek and other tributaries of the Wenatchee River. Although modest in elevation, relief is significant since Big Lou rises 5,200 feet above Icicle Creek Valley in approximately two miles. Big Lou is named for mountaineer Lou Whittaker, the twin brother of Jim Whittaker, the first American to summit Mount Everest.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Wikidata Q98113907, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.

What the record says

Elevation
2172 m

How to reach it

Coordinates47.63833, -120.85735

Named places within 25 miles

Peaks
Waterfalls: 24
Attractions: 12
  • Alpine Ascent Climbing Wall: 9.2 mi
  • Rocky Pond Estate Winery Leavenworth Tasting Room: 9.2 mi
  • Kestrel Vintners: 9.4 mi
  • Maibaum: 9.6 mi
  • Willkommen in Leavenworth: 9.6 mi
Parks: 12
Cliffs: 11
  • Bambino: 5.8 mi
  • Little Italy: 5.8 mi
  • Lower Castle Rock: 7.3 mi
  • Upper Castle Rock: 7.3 mi
  • Veteran's Club: 7.5 mi
Springs: 11
Beaches: 8
  • Dog Beach: 7.9 mi
  • Hot Sand Beach: 9.6 mi
  • Deer Beach: 9.6 mi
  • Enchantment Beach: 9.6 mi
  • Rafters Beach: 9.6 mi
Historic sites: 6
Museums: 6
  • Greater Leavenworth Museum: 9.6 mi
  • Nutcracker Museum & Store: 9.6 mi
  • Cashmere Museum and Pioneer Village: 20.4 mi
  • Skykomish Historical Society: 23.8 mi
  • Great Northern and Cascade Railways: 23.9 mi
Ghost towns: 4
Nature reserves: 3
Picnic sites: 2
  • Swiftwater Picnic Area: 6.0 mi
  • Day Use Area: 23.3 mi
Rest areas: 2
Gardens: 2
Hot springs: 1

Other summits around it

The highest named summits within 11.5 miles of Big Lou. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.

SummitBearingElevationDistance
Mount StuartS 190°2,871 m11.5 mi
Dragontail PeakS 174°2,695 m11.1 mi
Pandora's BoxS 175°2,658 m11.3 mi
Colchuck PeakS 177°2,653 m11.1 mi
Cannon MountainSSE 165°2,637 m9.7 mi
Enchantment PeakSSE 166°2,597 m10.6 mi
Witches TowerS 172°2,597 m11.3 mi
Cashmere MountainS 175°2,595 m5.5 mi

When to go

Light through the year

DateSunriseGolden hourSunset
March equinox07:0718:3619:16
June solstice05:0620:1721:06
September equinox06:5118:2219:03
December solstice07:5015:2216:15

Local time (America/Los_Angeles).

Climate normals

Months averaging 5080 °F: May–Sep.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg °F263239475562696960483527
Precip in4.12.92.51.21.41.00.40.40.82.44.14.5

1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Leavenworth 3 S, 10 mi away.

Where this comes from

Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.

OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidata

OpenStreetMap element node/8837846376

More peaks in Washington

Day trips start here

Drive to it

Byway plans a real route around stops like this one.

Private beta · Free to join

Take the scenic way to Big Lou.

Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.

Private beta · Free to join · No card · Invite when a spot opens