Candy Mountain (Washington)

Summary

Candy Mountain is a small mountain located just outside West Richland, Washington. Candy Mountain rises above the Tri-Cities, located between Badger Mountain to the south and Red Mountain to the north.

Candy Mountain
View from Candy Mountain Summit showing Red Mountain and Rattlesnake Mountain to the north west.
Highest point
Elevation1,394 ft (425 m) NAVD 88[1]
Prominence536 ft (163 m)[1]
Isolation2.76 mi (4.44 km)[1]
Coordinates46°15′33″N 119°22′00″W / 46.259115°N 119.366603°W / 46.259115; -119.366603[1]
Geography
Parent rangeColumbia River Plateau
Topo mapUSGS Richland
Climbing
Easiest routeHike

Candy Mountain is connected to Badger Mountain by Goose Gap.[2] There is a primitive road leading to the top, and the remains of an old radio tower.[3] The non-profit organization Friends of Badger Mountain, in collaboration with Benton County, raised funds and pursued grants to purchase 200 acres of land surrounding Candy Mountain to build new trails on the mountain and connect it to Badger Mountain.[4]

Trail edit

 
Candy Mountain traihead parking lot

There is a trail that hikers can use starting on the east side of the mountain, leading to the top. The 1.4-mile (2.3 km) trail is fairly steep, but one can reach the summit in around 20 minutes. Along the climb, there are interpretive signs pointing out local flora and describing the ice age floods that have shaped the region. Several glacial erratics can be seen on the hike. The summit affords views of Rattlesnake Mountain, Red Mountain, Goose Gap, and Badger Mountain. On clear days, Mount Adams and Mount Rainier can be seen in the distance to the west.[3][5][6]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "Candy Mountain, Washington". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2015-08-31.
  2. ^ "Goose Gap". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2015-08-31.
  3. ^ a b Candy Mountain Hiking Trail Archived 2015-09-05 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 2015-08-31
  4. ^ Candy Mountain dream about to come true Archived 2017-09-04 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 2017-05-20
  5. ^ Ascent of Candy Mountain on 2012-03-25 Archived 2022-01-18 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 2015-08-31
  6. ^ Candy Mountain Trail Proposed[permanent dead link] Assessed 2015-08-31