Mount Defiance (Oregon)

This article is about the mountain in Oregon state. For other locations, see Mount Defiance.
Mount Defiance
Mount Defiance from Dog Mountain
Highest point
Elevation5,010 ft (1,530 m) NAVD 88[1]
Prominence1,520 ft (460 m)[2]
Coordinates45°38′55″N 121°43′22″W / 45.648661403°N 121.722639119°W / 45.648661403; -121.722639119[1]
Geography
Mount Defiance is located in Oregon
Mount Defiance
Mount Defiance
Location in Oregon
CountryUnited States
StateOregon
RegionMount Hood National Forest
CountyHood River
Parent rangeCascades
Topo mapMount Defiance
Geology
Mountain typeShield volcano
Last eruptionPleistocene

Mount Defiance is a peak near the Columbia River Gorge in the US state of Oregon. It rises to an elevation of 5,010 feet (1,527 m)[1] in the Mount Hood National Forest in Hood River County, Oregon. The northern and western flanks of the mountain are in the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness. The route up the mountain is often considered one of the hardest climbs in the Gorge;[3] the trail gains 5,000 feet (1,500 m) in 6 miles (9.7 km) from the Starvation Creek Trailhead.[4]

Mount Defiance is composed chiefly of lava flows.[5] The base is basalt from an old shield volcano, and it is capped by andesite.[6]

The mountain was named by Dr. P.G. Barrett, an early resident of the Hood River Valley, as he believed it retained its winter snow late into the spring in defiance of the warming weather.[7]

  1. ^ a b c "Mt Defiance". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  2. ^ "Mount Defiance, Oregon". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved January 17, 2013.
  3. ^ "Mount Defiance". Friends of the Columbia Gorge. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  4. ^ "Starvation Creek State Park". Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  5. ^ Scott, W.E.; Pierson, T.C.; Schilling, S.P.; et al. (1997). "Volcano Hazards in the Mount Hood Region, Oregon" (PDF).
  6. ^ Korosec, Michael (1987). Geologic Map of the Hood River Quadrangle, Washington and Oregon (PDF) (Map). doi:10.2172/6464338. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  7. ^ McArthur, Lewis A. (2003). Oregon Geographic Names (7th ed.). Seattle: University of Washington Press. p. 666. ISBN 0-87595-277-1.