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20-671: Cusick Mountain is a summit located in Wallowa County , Oregon , US. Cusick Mountain is located at the center of the Wallowa Mountains and is set within the Eagle Cap Wilderness , on land managed by Wallowa–Whitman National Forest . The remote 9,518-foot elevation (2,901 m) peak ranks as the 17th-highest mountain in Oregon. The peak is situated 2.6 miles southeast of Glacier Peak and 3.3 miles southeast of Eagle Cap which

40-403: A gap , saddle , col or notch . A topographic saddle is analogous to the mathematical concept of a saddle surface , with a saddle point marking the minimum high point between two valleys and the lowest point along a ridge. On a topographic map , passes can be identified by contour lines with an hourglass shape, which indicates a low spot between two higher points. In the high mountains,

60-425: A subarctic climate zone characterized by long, usually very cold winters, and mild summers. Winter temperatures can drop below −10 °F with wind chill factors below −20 °F. Most precipitation in the area is caused by orographic lift . Thunderstorms are common in the summer. Summit The term top ( mountain top ) is generally used only for a mountain peak that is located at some distance from

80-502: A difference of 2,000 meters (6,600 ft) between the summit and the mountain is defined as a mountain pass. Passes are often found just above the source of a river , constituting a drainage divide . A pass may be very short, consisting of steep slopes to the top of the pass, or a valley many kilometers long, whose highest point might only be identifiable by surveying . Roads and railways have long been built through passes. Some high and rugged passes may have tunnels bored underneath

100-469: A highest point is classified as a summit, a sub peak or a separate mountain is subjective. The International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation 's definition of a 4,000 m peak is that it has a prominence of 30 metres (98 ft) or more; it is a mountain summit if it has a prominence of at least 300 metres (980 ft). Otherwise, it is a subpeak. In many parts of the Western United States ,

120-518: A nearby mountainside, as with the Eisenhower Tunnel bypassing Loveland Pass in the Rockies, to allow faster traffic flow throughout the year. The top of a pass is frequently the only flat ground in the area, and may be a high vantage point. In some cases this makes it a preferred site for buildings. If a national border follows the ridge of a mountain range, a pass over the mountains is typically on

140-756: A style of street racing which may take place on these roads. There are thousands of named passes around the world, some of which are well-known, such as the Khyber Pass close to the present-day Afghanistan-Pakistan border on the ancient Silk Road , the Great St. Bernard Pass at 2,473 metres (8,114 ft) in the Alps , the Chang La at 5,360 metres (17,590 ft), the Khardung La at 5,359 metres (17,582 ft) in Ladakh , India and

160-423: Is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge . Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both human and animal migration throughout history. At lower elevations it may be called a hill pass . A mountain pass is typically formed between two volcanic peaks or created by erosion from water or wind. Mountain passes make use of

180-846: Is also used, particularly in Europe. In the highest mountain range in the world, the Himalayas, passes are denoted by the suffix "La" in Tibetan, Ladhakhi, and several other regional languages. Examples are the Taglang La at 5,328 m (17,480 ft) on the Leh-Manali highway , and the Sia La at 5,589 m (18,337 ft) in the Eastern Karakoram range. Scotland has the Gaelic term bealach (anglicised "balloch"), while Wales has

200-400: Is an exaggerated form produced by ice erosion of a mountain top. Summit may also refer to the highest point along a line, trail, or route. The highest summit in the world is Mount Everest with a height of 8,848.86 m (29,031.7 ft) above sea level . The first official ascent was made by Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary . They reached the mountain's peak in 1953. Whether

220-747: Is the Brenner pass in the Alps . Some mountain passes above the tree line have problems with snow drift in the winter. This might be alleviated by building the road a few meters above the ground, which will make snow blow off the road. There are many words for pass in the English-speaking world. In the United States, pass is very common in the West , the word gap is common in the southern Appalachians , notch in parts of New England , and saddle in northern Idaho . The term col , derived from Old French,

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240-556: Is the nearest higher neighbor. Precipitation runoff from the mountain's north slope drains into headwaters of the West Fork Wallowa River , and all other slopes into headwaters of the Imnaha River . Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 2,900 feet (880 meters) above South Fork Imnaha River in 1.5 mile. The summit is composed of Columbia River basalt which overlays limestone and Mesozoic granodiorite of

260-583: The Palakkad Gap at 140 metres (460 ft) in Palakkad , Kerala , India . The roads at Mana Pass at 5,610 metres (18,410 ft) and Marsimik La at 5,582 metres (18,314 ft), on and near the China–India border respectively, appear to be world's two highest motorable passes. Khunjerab Pass between Pakistan and China at 4,693 metres (15,397 ft) is also a high-altitude motorable mountain pass. One of

280-649: The Wallowa Batholith. A limber pine growing at the 8,000-foot level on the mountain's southeast slope is likely the oldest living thing in Oregon and ranks third in the limber pine size category in the United States. This landform's toponym was proposed by Willard Webster Eggleston and officially adopted May 1, 1929, by the United States Board on Geographic Names to remember William Conklin Cusick (1842–1922), an Oregonian and pioneer botanist who specialized in

300-454: The border, and there may be a border control or customs station, and possibly a military post. For instance, Argentina and Chile share the world's third-longest international border , 5,300 kilometres (3,300 mi) long, which runs north–south along the Andes mountains and includes 42 mountain passes. On a road over a pass, it is customary to have a small roadside sign giving the name of

320-569: The flora of the Pacific Northwest and in particular the Wallowas and Blue Mountains . The resident of Union, Oregon , made the first botanical studies of the Wallowas by collecting and classifying plants from 1896 through 1910. There are numerous plants with scientific names ending with cusickii which are named in his honor. Based on the Köppen climate classification , Cusick Mountain is located in

340-398: The nearest point of higher elevation. For example, a big, massive rock next to the main summit of a mountain is not considered a summit. Summits near a higher peak, with some prominence or isolation , but not reaching a certain cutoff value for the quantities, are often considered subsummits (or subpeaks ) of the higher peak, and are considered part of the same mountain. A pyramidal peak

360-479: The pass and its elevation above mean sea level . Apart from offering relatively easy travel between valleys, passes also provide a route between two mountain tops with a minimum of descent. As a result, it is common for tracks to meet at a pass; this often makes them convenient routes even when travelling between a summit and the valley floor. Passes traditionally were places for trade routes, communications, cultural exchange, military expeditions etc. A typical example

380-684: The similar bwlch (both being insular Celtic languages). In the Lake District of north-west England, the term hause is often used, although the term pass is also common—one distinction is that a pass can refer to a route, as well as the highest part thereof, while a hause is simply that highest part, often flattened somewhat into a high-level plateau. In Japan they are known as tōge , which means "pass" in Japanese. The word can also refer to narrow, winding roads that can be found in and around mountains and geographically similar areas, or specifically to

400-531: The term summit can also be used for the highest point along a road, highway, or railroad, more commonly referred to as a pass . For example, the highest point along Interstate 80 in California is referred to as Donner Summit and the highest point on Interstate 5 is Siskiyou Mountain Summit . This can lead to confusion as to whether a labeled "summit" is a pass or a peak. Mountain pass A mountain pass

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