Granite Peak
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Granite Peak rises to 3,904 m in Montana. Granite Peak (Northwest Peak) stands 3,882 m to the northwest, 0.4 miles off. Beartooth Highway passes 10 miles off.
The story
Granite Peak, at an elevation of 12,807 feet (3,904 m) above sea level, is the highest natural point in the U.S. state of Montana, and the tenth-highest state high point in the nation. It lies within the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness in Park County, very near the borders of Stillwater County and Carbon County. Granite Peak is 10 miles (16 km) north of the Wyoming border and 45 miles (72 km) southwest of Columbus, Montana. Granite Peak is often considered the second most difficult state high point to climb after Denali in Alaska, due to technical climbing, poor weather, and route finding. Granite Peak's first ascent was made by Elers Koch, James C. Whitham, and R.T. Ferguson on August 29, 1923, after several failed attempts by others. It was the last of the state high points to be climbed. Today, climbers typically spend two or three days ascending the peak, stopping over on the Froze-to-Death Plateau, although some climbers choose to ascend the peak in a single day. Another route that has gained popularity in recent years is the Southwest Couloir route, a non-technical route from the south starting near Cooke City; climbers generally take two days to complete it.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q599777, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 3903.5 m
How to reach it
- 10.2 mi off the Beartooth Highway, National
- 16.5 mi off the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway
Overlooks nearby
- Pilot & Index · 14 mi
- Crazy Creek · 15 mi
- Falls · 17 mi
- Pilot-Index overlook · 18 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Granite Peak (Northwest Peak): 0.4 mi
- Tempest Mountain: 0.8 mi
- Cairn Mountain: 1.2 mi
- Mount Villard: 1.5 mi
- Mystic Mountain: 1.6 mi
- South Robinson Spring: 21.4 mi
- Lower Cottonwood Spring: 21.5 mi
- Blind Sheep Spring: 21.8 mi
- Upper Cottonwood Spring: 22.0 mi
- Quaker Spring: 22.2 mi
- Impasse Falls: 4.5 mi
- Sentinel Falls: 13.6 mi
- Woodbine Falls: 13.7 mi
- Calamity Falls: 14.0 mi
- Crazy Creek Falls: 15.2 mi
- Cooke City Historical Marker: 12.5 mi
- Willow Park: 13.6 mi
- Warm Creek Picnic Area: 15.4 mi
- Soda Butte Creek: 20.8 mi
- Buffalo Jump: 18.5 mi
- Limestone Palisades: 23.2 mi
- Cooke City Montana Museum: 11.8 mi
- Erma Number 1 Mine: 12.3 mi
- Gallery Dan Hartman: 13.7 mi
- Absaroka–Beartooth Wilderness: 15.5 mi
- Clay Butte Lookout: 17.5 mi
- Rock Creek Vista Point: 21.2 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 12.4 miles of Granite Peak. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Granite Peak (Northwest Peak) | NW 308° | 3,882 m | 0.4 mi |
| Mount Wood | N 358° | 3,846 m | 7.7 mi |
| Castle Mountain | ESE 117° | 3,842 m | 9.7 mi |
| Whitetail Peak | ESE 116° | 3,821 m | 11.9 mi |
| Tempest Mountain | ENE 73° | 3,791 m | 0.8 mi |
| Castle Rock Mountain | ESE 121° | 3,785 m | 8.7 mi |
| Mount Peal | E 96° | 3,778 m | 1.7 mi |
| Glacier Peak | WSW 245° | 3,762 m | 2.2 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:23 | 18:53 | 19:32 |
| June solstice | 05:33 | 20:26 | 21:11 |
| September equinox | 07:07 | 18:40 | 19:19 |
| December solstice | 07:56 | 15:51 | 16:40 |
Local time (America/Denver).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Jun–Sep.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 27 | 26 | 32 | 37 | 46 | 54 | 62 | 62 | 54 | 42 | 32 | 25 |
| Precip in | 1.1 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 2.7 | 4.1 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 1.9 | 1.4 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Mystic Lake, 7 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/10940030852
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