Cathedral Peak (Alaska)


Cathedral Peak is a mountain summit located in the Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains, in the U.S. state of Alaska. The peak is situated in the Taku Range of the Juneau Icefield, north of Juneau, and north of Taku Towers, on land managed by Tongass National Forest. The Taku Range is a north-south trending ridge on the edge of the Taku Glacier. The mountain was named in 1964 by members of the Juneau Icefield Research Project, and officially adopted in 1965 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Cathedral Peak is located in a subpolar oceanic climate zone, with long, cold, snowy winters, and cool summers. Weather systems coming off the Gulf of Alaska are forced upwards by the Coast Mountains, causing heavy precipitation in the form of rainfall and snowfall. Temperatures can drop below −20 °C with wind chill factors below −30 °C. The month of July offers the most favorable weather to view or climb Cathedral Peak.