| This peak is #3 on the Height List for Washington . This peak is #2 in Prominence List for Washington . Mount Baker is the northernmost of the Cascade volcanoes, and is within reach of Vancouver, BC as a day trip. However, the climb is much more relaxed as a 2 day trip, and is often done as a ski trip in May or June. You can take skis right to the summit, although the last 100 m to the summit is very steep. In warm spring snow, you can ski down the steep portion, however in winter months, the slope can be quite icy and require crampons and ice axe. Some parties rope up for this slope. Lower down, there is a certain amount of crevasse danger, and the spring ski route often goes over various snowbridges. Early season crevasse danger is reduced by the huge snowfall this mountain recieves. However, in late summer large crevasses (5 meters wide) begin to open up all over the mountain, making the climbing much more challenging. It is the third highest mountain in the state of Washington, after Rainier and Mount Adams. It gets a lot of precipitation, and has twelve glaciers. The summit crater is completely filled with ice, providing a large summit plateau. Baker has steamed since the 1800's and has erupted several times in the last century. The small summit knob is known as Grant Peak; its elevation has been charted in the subpeaks by only 5m lower as USGS maps do not give a precise measure. SSE of the summit, beyond Summit Crater, is Sherman Peak, and to the SW is Colfax Peak.
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