Skip to content
Byway
Peak · Washington

Mother Lode

Mother Lode, seen from above at true elevation

Mother Lode rises to 2,409 m in Washington. North Gardner Mountain stands 2,730 m to the northeast, 7.2 miles off. The nearest named place is South Creek Butte, a peak 0.4 miles away. JCT KEYSTONE FERRY ZONE WHIDBEY ISLAND TO JCT SR 153 VIC TWISP passes 5.1 miles off.

About

The story

Mother Lode is a 7,905-foot-elevation (2,409-meter) mountain summit located in the North Cascades, in Okanogan County, Washington. It is situated in the Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness, on land managed by Okanogan–Wenatchee National Forest. The mountain is part of the Methow Mountains, which are a subset of the Cascade Range, and the peak is approximately two miles east of the crest of the range. Mother Lode is set approximately six miles south of Washington Pass, and the nearest higher neighbor is Gilbert Mountain, three miles to the northeast. Topographic relief is significant as the north aspect rises 3,500 feet (1,100 meters) above the South Fork Twisp River in one mile. The peak was climbed in 1983 by Rick La Belle and Glen Sterr via the north ridge, and the northeast ridge was climbed in 1985 by Carl and Gordon Skoog. Precipitation runoff from the peak drains into tributaries of Twisp River, which in turn is a tributary of the Methow River.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Wikidata Q108882716, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.

The record

What the record says

Elevation
2409 m
Getting there

How to reach it

Driving directionsPlan a drive around it
Coordinates48.44357, -120.61517

Overlooks nearby

Around it

Named places within 25 miles

Peaks
Parks: 12
  • Lake Chelan National Recreation Area: 5.4 mi
  • Patterson Lake Public Access: 17.1 mi
  • Mack Lloyd Park: 19.7 mi
  • Confluence Park: 19.9 mi
  • Homestream Park: 20.2 mi
Waterfalls: 10
  • Rainbow Falls: 7.9 mi
  • Cedar Falls: 10.1 mi
  • Green View Falls: 12.5 mi
  • Monkey Bear Falls: 17.6 mi
  • 10 Mile Falls: 18.0 mi
Cliffs: 9
Historic sites: 5
Ghost towns: 3
Artworks: 3
Gardens: 2
  • The Garden: 8.8 mi
  • Native Plant Gardens: 23.4 mi
Museums: 2
Nature reserves: 2
  • Methow Salmon Recovery Ponds: 22.7 mi
  • Aaron Johnson Park: 23.3 mi
On the horizon

Other summits around it

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

SummitBearingElevationDistance
North Gardner MountainNE 46°2,730 m7.2 mi
Gardner MountainNE 53°2,712 m7.3 mi
Silver Star MountainN 11°2,670 m7.3 mi
Big SnagtoothN 11°2,552 m6.4 mi
Reynolds PeakSSE 154°2,545 m5.2 mi
Big KangarooN 359°2,538 m5.2 mi
Abernathy PeakENE 61°2,523 m4.8 mi
Mount GibbsS 176°2,482 m3.4 mi
Conditions

When to go

Light through the year

DateSunriseGolden hourSunset
March equinox07:0618:3419:15
June solstice05:0220:1921:08
September equinox06:5018:2119:02
December solstice07:5215:1616:10

Local time (America/Los_Angeles).

Climate normals

Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Sep.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg °F293238475662706960473529
Precip in6.83.73.61.41.10.80.50.51.03.76.77.2

1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Stehekin 4 NW, 8 mi away.

Sources

Where this comes from

Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.

OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidata

OpenStreetMap element node/13906068685

More peaks in Washington

Day trips start here

Drive to it

Byway plans a real route around stops like this one.

Plan a driveMore peaks
Private beta · Free to join

Take the scenic way to Mother Lode.

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