Haydon Peak

Location of Haydon Peak in Alaska

CountryUnited StatesStateAlaskaBoroughYakutat^[2]Protected areaWrangell–St. Elias National Park^[3]Parent rangeSaint Elias Mountains^[3]^[2]Topo mapUSGS Mount Saint Elias B-8^[2]GeologyAge of rockMesozoic^[4]Type of rockSchist^[4]ClimbingEasiest routeExpedition climbing

Haydon Peak is an 11,924-foot-elevation (3,634-meter) mountain summit in Alaska, United States.

Description

Haydon Peak is part of the Saint Elias Mountains in Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve.^[3] The glaciated peak is located 3.5 miles (5.6 km) southwest of Mount Saint Elias and 66 miles (106 km) northwest of Yakutat, Alaska.^[5] The mountain is surrounded by the Libbey Glacier to the east and Tyndall Glacier to the west. Precipitation runoff and glacial meltwater from the mountain flows south to the Gulf of Alaska. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 8,300 feet (2,530 m) above the head of Libbey Glacier in two miles (3.2 km).

History

The mountain was named "Hadon Peak" in 1888 by mountaineer Harold Ward Topham for Mr. and Mrs. Henry E. Haydon.^[5] Henry Haydon was Secretary of the District of Alaska at the time of Topham's expedition to Mount Saint Elias.^[2] Topham's failed 1888 expedition only reached an elevation of 11,460-feet on Mt. Saint Elias' south side,^[6] so a close view of Haydon Peak was possible.^[7] The mountain's toponym was officially adopted in 1917 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.^[2]

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Haydon Peak is located in a tundra climate zone with long, cold, snowy winters, and cool summers.^[8] Weather systems coming off the Gulf of Alaska are forced upwards by the Saint Elias Mountains (orographic lift), causing heavy precipitation in the form of rainfall and snowfall. Winter temperatures can drop below −10 °F with wind chill factors below −20 °F. This climate supports several glaciers surrounding this peak. The months May through June offer the most favorable weather for viewing or climbing.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Haydon Peak - 11,924' AK". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Haydon Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Haydon Peak, Alaska". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
^ ^a ^b Gary R. Winkler, A Geologic Guide to Wrangell–Saint Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska, 1999.
^ ^a ^b Donald J. Orth, Dictionary of Alaska Place Names, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1967, page 411.
^ Israel C. Russell, An Expedition to Mount St. Elias, Alaska, DigiCat, 2022.
^ William Williams (1942). "Reminiscences of Mt. St. Elias". American Alpine Journal. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
^ Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11 (5): 1633. Bibcode:2007HESS...11.1633P. doi:10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007. ISSN 1027-5606.