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Tamanos Mountain

Cascade RangeCascade VolcanoesChinook Jargon place namesMount Rainier National ParkMountains of Pierce County, Washington
Mountains of Washington (state)Two-thousanders of the United StatesUse American English from February 2026Use mdy dates from January 2025
Tamanos Mountain
Tamanos Mountain

Tamanos Mountain is a 6,790-foot (2,070 m) summit located in Mount Rainier National Park in Pierce County of Washington state. It is part of the Cascade Range. Tamanos Mountain is situated west of Governors Ridge and northeast of the Cowlitz Chimneys, all of which can be seen from the Sunrise Historic District. The name tamanos derives from Chinook Jargon and has the meaning of guardian spirit. This landform's toponym was officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names in 1932. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 3,100 feet (940 meters) above the White River in approximately 1.5 mile. The normal climbing access is from the Owyhigh Lakes Trail, and from the lakes scrambling up the south slope to the summit.

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N 46.8719021 ° E -121.5974416 °
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Pierce County



Washington, United States
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piercecountywa.gov

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Tamanos Mountain
Tamanos Mountain
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Panhandle Gap
Panhandle Gap

Panhandle Gap is a high pass in the U.S. state of Washington, on a ridge to the east of Mount Rainier, lying near the low point between Little Tahoma Peak and the Cowlitz Chimneys. The hike to the gap along the Wonderland Trail, which can be joined 0.1 miles (0.16 km) from Fryingpan Creek Trailhead on Sunrise Road, has been described as "possibly the best day hike" in Mount Rainier National Park; it is 10.6 miles (17.1 km) roundtrip with 3,000 feet (910 m) of elevation gain. The hike is one of the most popular in the park, and can be crowded between late July and September, and it can be difficult to find parking at the trailhead. It has been rated both easy and strenuous. After Summerland—a campsite on a knob about 4 miles (6.4 km) from the trailhead and 1.3 miles (2.1 km) below Panhandle Gap—the trail can be hard to follow, crossing Fryingpan Creek can be hazardous, and in winter and spring there can also be avalanche risk approaching the gap. At around 6,750 feet (2,060 m), the gap is the highest point on the Wonderland Trail encircling the mountain. South of the gap, the Wonderland Trail continues towards Indian Bar and Box Canyon, as the terrain drops off into Ohanapecosh Park, which drains into the Ohanapecosh River. The most popular climbing routes to Banshee Peak and the Cowlitz Chimneys arrive via Panhandle Gap, and while Banshee is a walk-up, the Middle Cowlitz Chimney can be climbed using a Class 2 scrambling route and the Main Chimney is Class 3. On a clear day, Mount Adams is visible from Panhandle Gap, but Mount Rainier itself is largely blocked by the ridge to the west. Some through-hikers deviate to the Eastside Trail, an alternate route to avoid snow and potentially dangerous conditions around the gap. Panhandle Gap is above the tree line and the terrain largely consists of rock and ice past Summerland. The rock around the gap—partly consisting of hypersthene hornblende dacite that may have formed by Tatoosh intrusion as well as andesite—is more red than that found a short distance to the north, closer to Summerland. Snow often covers the trail around the gap into late summer. Species found at the gap include horned lark, ptarmigan, mountain goats, Smelowskia, and Tolmie's saxifrage.