Portal:Oregon/Selected article/33

The Cascade Range is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. Running it a north-south direction, it includes both non-volcanic mountains, including the rugged spires of the North Cascades, and the notable volcanoes known as the High Cascades. The Cascades are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, the ring of volcanoes and associated mountains around the Pacific Ocean. All of the known historic eruptions in the contiguous United States have been from Cascade volcanoes. The two most recent were Lassen Peak in 1914 to 1921 and a major eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980. Minor eruptions of Mount St. Helens have also occurred, most recently in 2006. In Oregon, the range divides the state between the drier Eastern Oregon section that has a rain-shadow effect and the moister western portion of the state that includes the Willamette Valley and Portland area. Mount Hood, the tallest peak in Oregon at 11,249 feet (3,429 m), is the northernmost volcano in the Oregon section of the Cascades. Other Oregon peaks in the range include Mount Jefferson, Three Fingered Jack, Mount Washington, Three Sisters, Mount Bachelor, Mount Thielsen, Mount Mazama, and Mount McLoughlin among others. The Pacific Crest Trail runs the length of the range, while Oregon's lone national park, Crater Lake National Park, and several national forests and wilderness areas occupy large tracts of land in the mountains.