Sumas Mountain
Sumas Mountain rises to 1,041 m in Washington. Mount Baker stands 3,287 m to the east-southeast, 21 miles off. The nearest named place is Bernard Swinehart Safe, a historic site 1.2 miles away. JCT SR 542 VIC KENDALL TO JCT SR 9 AT CANADIAN BORDER passes 3.6 miles off.
The story
Sumas Mountain is a mountain located in Whatcom County, Washington, 15 miles northeast of Bellingham and southwest of Vedder Mountain. Located in the Skagit Range, the mountain is notable for its high biodiversity and year-round hiking trails. It is sometimes referred to as American Sumas to distinguish it from an identically named mountain across the Canada–United States border in British Columbia just 10 km (6.2 mi) to the north, both of which are drained by tributary creeks of the Sumas River. The mountain is largely owned by the Washington Department of Natural Resources, but some parcels are privately held. While the public land is open for recreation, it is managed primarily for timber harvest. Clearcuts are present on many slopes and most all the remaining forest is in varying stages of recovery and regrowth. Washington State Route 547, which traverses a low pass on the mountain's northern flank, runs northwest from the Mount Baker Highway, (SR 542) in Kendall to SR 9 in Sumas, which is located on the Canada–United States border and south of Abbotsford, British Columbia. The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad once traversed the same pass. The controversial Swift Creek Landslide is located on the mountain's western slope.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q7636978, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 1041 m
How to reach it
- 3.6 mi off the JCT SR 542 VIC KENDALL TO JCT SR 9 AT CANADIAN BORDER
- 3.5 mi off the JCT SR 5 VIC BELLINGHAM TO AUSTIN PASS VIC MT BAKER
- 4.4 mi off the JCT SR 530 VIC ARLINGTON TO CANADIAN BORDER
- 17.8 mi off the JCT SR 5 VIC BURLINGTON TO JCT SR 5 VIC BELLINGHAM
Overlooks nearby
- Nooksack Falls Viewpoint · 19 mi
- Madrone Crest Viewpoint · 19 mi
- Inspiration Point · 19 mi
- Burnout knob · 22 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Sugarloaf Hill: 3.4 mi
- Haystack Hill: 3.5 mi
- Reese Hill: 4.0 mi
- Lone Tree Hill: 4.2 mi
- Red Mountain: 5.7 mi
- El Pollo: 4.6 mi
- Nooksack Totem Pole: 4.8 mi
- The Creation of Life Story Pole: 5.2 mi
- Nooksack Totem Pole: 6.0 mi
- Homespun Kinetic Art: 11.9 mi
- Nooksack City Park: 4.6 mi
- Everson Park: 5.6 mi
- Nugent's Corner River Access: 5.8 mi
- Riverside Memorial Park: 5.9 mi
- Deming Homestead Eagle Park: 6.4 mi
- Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act: 6.4 mi
- Maple Creek Park: 6.8 mi
- Silver Lake Park: 8.0 mi
- Olsen Creek State Forest: 11.6 mi
- Toad Lake: 11.6 mi
- Bernard Swinehart Safe: 1.2 mi
- Nooksack Ancestors: 4.1 mi
- Shark Plow Blade: 5.5 mi
- Carnation Condensery Smokestack: 5.6 mi
- Bear Totem Pole: 5.9 mi
- Black Mountain Forestry Center: 7.5 mi
- Lynden Pioneer Museum: 10.6 mi
- Lightcatcher: 16.0 mi
- George E. Pickett House: 16.1 mi
- Old City Hall: 16.1 mi
- Racehorse Falls: 4.9 mi
- Anderson Falls: 8.6 mi
- Canyon creek rapids: 10.5 mi
- Hard Scrabble Falls: 10.5 mi
- Frosst Creek Waterfall: 10.9 mi
- Magical Garden: 8.0 mi
- Garden: 14.2 mi
- Cornwall Rose Garden: 15.3 mi
- WeGrow Garden: 15.8 mi
- York Community Farm: 15.8 mi
- Stoney Ridge Farm: 7.0 mi
- Samson Estates Winery: 7.5 mi
- Farmville: 8.0 mi
- School Area: 8.0 mi
- Dan Cramer's Western Town: 9.9 mi
- Public Access Beach: 13.9 mi
- Squalicum Beach: 16.8 mi
- Cornwall Beach: 16.9 mi
- dogfish beach: 22.6 mi
- Dogfish beach south: 22.6 mi
- The Palisades: 15.9 mi
- Lee Promontory: 20.1 mi
- Roman Wall: 20.4 mi
- Park Cliffs: 22.0 mi
- Mount Baker Vista: 16.1 mi
- Group Picnic Area: 21.8 mi
- Shuksan Picnic Area: 24.0 mi
- Austin Pass Picnic Area: 24.8 mi
- Custer Northbound Rest Area: 18.2 mi
- Custer Southbound Rest Area: 19.2 mi
- Bow Hill Southbound Rest Area: 23.3 mi
- Bow Hill Northbound Rest Area: 23.5 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 21.0 miles of Sumas Mountain. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Baker | ESE 117° | 3,287 m | 20.7 mi |
| Lahar Lookout | ESE 117° | 3,069 m | 20.9 mi |
| Colfax Peak | ESE 119° | 2,851 m | 19.7 mi |
| Lincoln Peak | ESE 121° | 2,695 m | 19.3 mi |
| Seward Peak | ESE 123° | 2,385 m | 19.6 mi |
| Hadley Peak | ESE 110° | 2,290.6 m | 19.4 mi |
| South Twin | SE 143° | 2,123 m | 17.8 mi |
| North Twin | SE 143° | 2,024 m | 17.0 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:12 | 18:40 | 19:22 |
| June solstice | 05:06 | 20:27 | 21:17 |
| September equinox | 06:56 | 18:27 | 19:09 |
| December solstice | 08:01 | 15:19 | 16:15 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 38 | 40 | 44 | 49 | 56 | 60 | 64 | 63 | 59 | 51 | 43 | 38 |
| Precip in | 7.0 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 3.2 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 2.9 | 5.3 | 7.1 | 6.2 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Clearbrook, 6 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/356546652
Day trips start here
- Sumas · 6 mi
- Lynden · 11 mi
- Bellingham · 16 mi
- Ferndale · 17 mi
- Northwest Washington · 20 mi
- Mount Baker · 21 mi
Take the scenic way to Sumas Mountain.
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