McClellan Butte

McClellan Butte
McClellan Butte from westbound Interstate 90
Highest point
Elevation	5,162 ft (1,573 m) NAVD 881
Prominence	1,442 ft (440 m)2
Coordinates	47°24′25″N 121°37′20″W / 47.406931772°N 121.622201319°W / 47.406931772; -121.6222013191
Geography
McClellan Butte King County, Washington, U.S. Show map of Washington (state) McClellan Butte McClellan Butte (the United States) Show map of the United States
Parent range	Cascade Range
Topo map	USGS Bandera
Climbing
Easiest route	Maintained Hiking Trail, Short final rock scramble

McClellan Butte is a prominent peak in the Cascade Range in King County, Washington 11 miles east of North Bend.² The McClellan Butte hiking trail is a difficult trail known as an alternative to Mount Si's crowded trail.³⁴

Avalanches can occur in winter months. In March 2018, two snowshoers were caught in an avalanche but both survived.⁵

McClellan Butte is located in the marine west coast climate zone of western North America.⁶ Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean, and travel northeast toward the Cascade Mountains. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks of the Cascade Range, causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the Cascades (Orographic lift). As a result, the west side of the Cascades experiences high precipitation, especially during the winter months in the form of snowfall. During winter months, weather is usually cloudy, but, due to high pressure systems over the Pacific Ocean that intensify during summer months, there is often little or no cloud cover during the summer.⁷ Precipitation runoff from McClellan Butte drains into the Snoqualmie River.