Cascade Range, mountain chain, c.700 mi (1,130 km) long, extending S from British Columbia to N Calif., where it becomes the Sierra Nevada Sierra Nevada (sēĕr`ə nəvä`də), mountain range, c.400 mi (640 km) long and from c.
..... Click the link for more information. ; it parallels the Coast Ranges Coast Ranges, series of mountain ranges along the Pacific coast of North America, extending from SE Alaska to Baja California; from 2,000 to 20,000 ft (610–6,100 m) high. The ranges include the St. Elias Mts.
..... Click the link for more information. , 100–150 mi (161–241 km) inland from the Pacific Ocean. Many of the range's highest peaks are volcanic cones, covered with snowfields and glaciers. Mt. St. Helens Saint Helens, Mount, volcanic peak, 8,363 ft (2,549 m; 9,677 ft/2,950 m before its 1980 eruption) high, SW Wash., historically the most active volcano in the Cascade Range . Dormant since 1857, Mt. St.
..... Click the link for more information. erupted in 1980 in one of the greatest volcanic explosions in U.S. history, and Lassen Peak, 10,457 ft (3,187 m) high, in Lassen Volcanic National Park Lassen Peak, 10,457 ft (3,187 m) high, is officially an active volcano even though the last major eruption occurred in 1914; it was intermittently active until 1921. The peak was a prominent landmark in the mid-1800s for westward travelers to California.
..... Click the link for more information. , is still active. Mt. Rainier (14,410 ft/4,392 m), in Mount Rainier National Park Mount Rainier National Park (rānēr`, rə–), 235,625 acres (95,395 hectares), SW Wash., in the Cascade Range; est. 1899.
..... Click the link for more information. , is the highest point in the Cascades; Mt. Shasta Shasta, Mount (shăs`tə), volcanic peak, 14,162 ft (4,317 m) high, N Calif., in the Cascade Range. Visited c.
..... Click the link for more information. and Mt. Hood Hood, Mount, peak, 11,235 ft (3,424 m) high, NW Oreg., in the Cascade Range, E of Portland; highest point in the state and the center of Mt. Hood National Forest.
..... Click the link for more information. are other prominent peaks. The Columbia River flows from east to west across the range. Of the many lakes in the Cascades, Crater Lake, in Crater Lake National Park Crater Lake National Park, 183,224 acres (74,206 hectares), SW Oreg., in the Cascade Range; est. 1902. Crater Lake, 20 sq mi (52 sq km), lies in a huge pit that was created when the top of a prehistoric volcano was blown off by a violent eruption.
..... Click the link for more information. , and Lake Chelan Chelan, Lake (shəlăn`), 55 mi (89 km) long and from 1 to 2 mi (1.6–3.
..... Click the link for more information. , in Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, are the most famous. Other federal lands in this popular recreation area are North Cascades National Park North Cascades National Park, 504,781 acres (204,436 hectares), N Washington. Located in the Cascade Range , the park has outstanding alpine scenery, including high jagged peaks, glaciers, icefalls, hanging valleys, and mountain lakes in high glacial cirques.
..... Click the link for more information. , Ross Lake National Recreation Area, and Cascade-Siskiyou and Lava Beds national monuments; national forests cover an extensive area.

Receiving more than 100 in. (254 cm) of precipitation annually, much of it as snow, the Cascades are a major source of water in the NW United States. Hydroelectricity is generated on the western slope; irrigation is used in the fertile eastern side valleys. Timber is the region's chief resource, but a growing concern for ecology and the environment has developed into a major political debate surrounding the trees. The

Cascade Tunnel, 8 mi (12.9 km), is one of the longest railroad tunnels in North America.

Cascade Range

Mountain range, western U.S. A continuation of the Sierra Nevada, it extends north from Mount Lassen in northeastern California across Oregon and Washington for 700 mi (1,100 km). Its highest elevation is Mount Rainier. Some of the summits, including Mount St. Helens, have erupted in the recent past. The Lewis and Clark Expedition passed through the range in the Columbia River Gorge. Its northern continuation in British Columbia is known as the Coast Mountains. See also North Cascades National Park.

Cascade Range (redirected from Cascade loop)

Cascade Range

Cascade Range
(redirected from Cascade loop)