Skip to content

Buell Peak

Buell Peak, seen from above at true elevation

Buell Peak rises to 1,701 m in Washington. Gibraltar Rock stands 3,863 m to the west, 8.7 miles off. The nearest named place is Sydney Falls, a waterfall 0.9 miles away. JCT SR 12 OHANAPECOSH JCT VIC WHITE PASS TO JCT SR 410 VIC CHINOOK PASS passes 1.4 miles off.

The story

Buell Peak is a small 5,756 ft (1,754 m) summit located in Mount Rainier National Park in Pierce County of Washington state. It is part of the Cascade Range and is situated 1.5 miles southwest of Cayuse Pass and 0.53 mile east-southeast of Barrier Peak, which is the nearest higher peak. Precipitation runoff from Buell Peak drains into tributaries of the Cowlitz River. The normal climbing access is from the Owyhigh Lakes Trail. The peak's toponym honors John Latimore Buell who arrived in Orting, Washington, in 1890 and went into the hardware business.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Wikidata Q49016393, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.

What the record says

Elevation
1701 m

How to reach it

Coordinates46.85268, -121.56157

Named places within 25 miles

Waterfalls
  • Sydney Falls: 0.9 mi
  • Deer Creek Falls: 1.7 mi
  • Chinook Cascades: 1.9 mi
  • Stafford Falls: 2.3 mi
  • Wauhaukaupauken Falls: 4.0 mi
Peaks
  • Barrier Peak: 0.9 mi
  • The Barrier: 1.7 mi
  • Double Peak: 1.9 mi
  • Third Cowlitz Chimney: 1.9 mi
  • North Cowlitz Chimney: 2.1 mi
Cliffs: 26
Picnic sites: 8
  • Sunrise Picnic Area: 5.8 mi
  • Paradise Picnic Area: 9.8 mi
  • Corral Pass Picnic Area: 12.0 mi
  • White Pass Day Use: 16.7 mi
  • Clear Lake Day Use Area: 20.2 mi
Springs: 8
  • Log Spring: 9.5 mi
  • Soda Springs: 10.9 mi
  • Bum Springs: 12.8 mi
  • Iron Mike Springs: 13.8 mi
  • Clover Spring: 17.2 mi
Historic sites: 4
Museums: 4
Parks: 4
  • Packwood Cowlitz River Public Access Point: 17.5 mi
  • Pyramid Creek SnoPark: 18.7 mi
  • Salmon Falls Interpretive Site: 22.8 mi
  • Boulder Cave Day Use Area: 23.7 mi
Attractions: 3
  • Big Cedar: 6.3 mi
  • The Trident: 8.0 mi
  • Coffee Cup: 9.1 mi
Ghost towns: 3
Rest areas: 2
Hot springs: 1
  • Ohanapecosh Hot Springs: 8.0 mi
Gardens: 1
  • Jean Caithness Greenlees Grove: 21.8 mi

Other summits around it

The highest named summits within 9.2 miles of Buell Peak. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.

SummitBearingElevationDistance
Gibraltar RockW 267°3,863 m8.7 mi
Little TahomaW 268°3,395 m7.1 mi
Steamboat ProwW 279°2,940 m8.1 mi
Anvil RockWSW 258°2,921 m7.9 mi
Whitman CrestW 267°2,841 m5.9 mi
K SpireW 274°2,708 m6.5 mi
Mount RuthWNW 283°2,635 m7.5 mi
3rd Burroughs MountainWNW 295°2,386 m7.9 mi

When to go

Light through the year

DateSunriseGolden hourSunset
March equinox07:1018:3919:19
June solstice05:1320:1821:05
September equinox06:5418:2619:06
December solstice07:4915:2916:21

Local time (America/Los_Angeles).

Climate normals

Months averaging 5080 °F: Jul–Aug.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg °F292830334145535449403227
Precip in17.212.913.28.35.13.81.41.64.411.318.218.9

1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Rainier Paradise RS, 10 mi away.

Inside the official boundary of Mount Rainier National Park. Quietest months by visitation: Feb and Dec; busiest: Jul.

NPS visitation statistics, monthly averages 2021–2025 (2020 excluded).

Where this comes from

Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.

OpenStreetMapWikidata

OpenStreetMap element node/348178930

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 Buell Peak.

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