Columbia Glacier

Columbia Glacier is a compact mountain glacier high on the slopes of Columbia Peak in Washington’s Henry M. Jackson Wilderness, among summits including Monte Cristo Peak and Kyes Peak. Descending from about 5,600 to 4,700 feet above sea level, it occupies rugged alpine terrain bordered by steep rock walls rather than a broad icefield. Its meltwater feeds Blanca Lake and Troublesome Creek in the North Fork Skykomish River watershed, helping sustain the local lake and creek system. Like many small Cascade glaciers, it has been shrinking in recent decades, retreating 278 feet between 1979 and 2004 as reduced winter snowpack and increased summer melting push it out of equilibrium with the present climate.

Index, Washington · United States