100 peaks
Washington 100 Highest
What is the Washington 100 Highest list?
The Washington 100 Highest, usually called the Bulger list, is the classic list of the state's 100 highest peaks. A group of climbers who called themselves the Bulgers put it together in 1976, once the last of the detailed USGS maps for the North Cascades came out. A peak needs 400 feet of prominence to count, with two Bulger twists: minor volcano subsummits like Liberty Cap on Rainier are left off, and a few high, named summits with less prominence, like Sahale Peak and Seven Fingered Jack, are kept. The list has stayed the same since, so Mount St. Helens is still on it even though the 1980 eruption took 1,312 feet off its summit. Newer surveys have produced a slightly different Top 100, but the Bulger list is the one most climbers work through, and it's the one Yak follows.
Washington 100 Highest list
Mount Rainier
14,411 ft · Washington
Mount Adams
12,281 ft · Washington
Little Tahoma
11,101 ft · Washington
Mount Baker
10,781 ft · Washington
Glacier Peak
10,541 ft · Washington
Bonanza Peak
9,506 ft · Washington
Mount Stuart
9,415 ft · Washington
Mount Fernow
9,245 ft · Washington
Goode Mountain
9,225 ft · Washington
Mount Shuksan
9,125 ft · Washington
Mount Buckner
9,112 ft · Washington
Mount Logan
9,096 ft · Washington
Mount Maude
9,081 ft · Washington
Jack Mountain
9,080 ft · Washington
Seven Fingered Jack
9,079 ft · Washington
Mount Redoubt
8,990 ft · Washington
Black Peak
8,988 ft · Washington
Mount Spickard
8,980 ft · Washington
Copper Peak
8,962 ft · Washington
North Gardner Mountain
8,962 ft · Washington
Dome Peak
8,924 ft · Washington
Gardner Mountain
8,901 ft · Washington
Silver Star Mountain
8,889 ft · Washington
Boston Peak
8,886 ft · Washington
Eldorado Peak
8,864 ft · Washington
Dragontail Peak
8,831 ft · Washington
Forbidden Peak
8,825 ft · Washington
Oval Peak
8,798 ft · Washington
Mesahchie Peak
8,756 ft · Washington
Sahale Peak
8,756 ft · Washington
Mount Lago
8,746 ft · Washington
Robinson Mountain
8,728 ft · Washington
Colchuck Peak
8,708 ft · Washington
Star Peak
8,692 ft · Washington
Remmel Mountain
8,687 ft · Washington
Fortress Mountain
8,679 ft · Washington
Katsuk Peak
8,673 ft · Washington
Cannon Mountain
8,642 ft · Washington
Sherpa Peak
8,626 ft · Washington
Mount Custer
8,619 ft · Washington
Ptarmigan Peak
8,618 ft · Washington
Kimtah Peak
8,615 ft · Washington
Mount Carru
8,607 ft · Washington
Cathedral Peak
8,603 ft · Washington
Monument Peak
8,601 ft · Washington
Cardinal Peak
8,595 ft · Washington
Clark Mountain
8,584 ft · Washington
Osceola Peak
8,582 ft · Washington
Raven Ridge
8,574 ft · Washington
Storm King
8,551 ft · Washington
Enchantment Peak
8,542 ft · Washington
Buck Mountain
8,536 ft · Washington
Dark Peak
8,518 ft · Washington
Reynolds Peak
8,516 ft · Washington
Cashmere Mountain
8,512 ft · Washington
Primus Peak
8,511 ft · Washington
Martin Peak
8,508 ft · Washington
Hard Mox
8,506 ft · Washington
Klawatti Peak
8,490 ft · Washington
Horseshoe Peak
8,488 ft · Washington
Big Craggy Peak
8,477 ft · Washington
Little Annapurna
8,475 ft · Washington
Mount Bigelow
8,472 ft · Washington
Hoodoo Peak
8,471 ft · Washington
Lost Peak
8,468 ft · Washington
Mount Rahm
8,463 ft · Washington
Chiwawa Mountain
8,456 ft · Washington
Argonaut Peak
8,452 ft · Washington
Dorado Needle
8,449 ft · Washington
Luahna Peak
8,448 ft · Washington
Tower Mountain
8,443 ft · Washington
Azurite Peak
8,439 ft · Washington
Sinister Peak
8,439 ft · Washington
Easy Mox
8,421 ft · Washington
Golden Horn
8,418 ft · Washington
Dumbell Mountain
8,415 ft · Washington
Emerald Peak
8,415 ft · Washington
Greenwood Mountain
8,410 ft · Washington
Blackcap Mountain
8,403 ft · Washington
Saska Peak
8,402 ft · Washington
Spectacle Buttes
8,399 ft · Washington
Pinnacle Mountain
8,398 ft · Washington
Courtney Peak
8,391 ft · Washington
Devore Peak
8,380 ft · Washington
Big Snagtooth
8,377 ft · Washington
Lake Mountain
8,375 ft · Washington
Martin Peak
8,374 ft · Washington
Amphitheater Mountain
8,373 ft · Washington
West Craggy
8,371 ft · Washington
McClellan Peak
8,364 ft · Washington
Mount St. Helens
8,363 ft · Washington
Tupshin Peak
8,346 ft · Washington
Snowfield Peak
8,342 ft · Washington
Mount Formidable
8,341 ft · Washington
Cosho Peak
8,339 ft · Washington
Windy Peak
8,337 ft · Washington
Austera Peak
8,332 ft · Washington
Abernathy Peak
8,330 ft · Washington
Flora Mountain
8,324 ft · Washington
Switchback Mountain
8,324 ft · Washington
Climbing Washington's 100 highest peaks
Five of the peaks are volcanoes: Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, Mount Baker, Glacier Peak and Mount St. Helens. Most of the other 95 sit in the North Cascades and the Stuart Range, between the Enchantments and the Canadian border, and every one of them tops 8,300 feet. Bonanza Peak, at 9,506 feet, is the highest non-volcanic summit in the state. Roughly half the list is Class 3 scrambling, about 16 peaks have Class 4 moves, and a dozen, including Forbidden Peak, Goode Mountain and Dorado Needle, need Class 5 rock on their easiest routes. Many routes cross glaciers, and the approaches are the real test: round trips run from about 6 miles for Silver Star Mountain off the North Cascades Highway to more than 40 for remote peaks like Mount Logan and Lost Peak, and most of the list is climbed on overnight trips. Yak shows each peak's standard route, trailhead and stats so you can plan the next one and watch your count grow.
Frequently asked questions
Why is it called the Bulger list?
The list is named after the Bulgers, a group of Washington climbers who compiled the state's 100 highest peaks in 1976 from the new USGS 7.5-minute maps. The list has been kept as it was for historical reasons, so it still reflects those maps rather than later surveys.
What is the difference between the Bulger list and the Washington Top 100?
The Washington Top 100 uses one rule, 400 feet of clean prominence, and has been updated with newer surveys and LiDAR. The Bulger list adds two rules of its own: it leaves off minor volcano subsummits like Liberty Cap, Sherman Peak and Colfax Peak, and it keeps seven high named summits with less prominence, such as Sahale Peak, Dark Peak and Little Annapurna. Most of the peaks are on both lists.
What is the highest peak on the list?
Mount Rainier, at 14,411 feet, is the highest peak in Washington and on the list. Little Tahoma, a sharp satellite peak on Rainier's east side, is second at 11,101 feet, and Bonanza Peak is the highest non-volcanic summit at 9,506 feet. Every peak on the list is above 8,300 feet.
Which Bulger peaks are the hardest?
About a dozen peaks need Class 5 climbing on their easiest routes, including Forbidden Peak, Goode Mountain, Dorado Needle, Golden Horn and the Mox Peaks. Remoteness adds as much difficulty as the climbing: peaks like Mount Logan, Lost Peak and Ptarmigan Peak take long approaches through the North Cascades backcountry, often with brushy valleys and glacier travel.
How many people have finished the Bulger list?
More than 100 people had climbed all 100 Bulger peaks as of 2024. Most take many years, since the season is short, the approaches are long, and several peaks need glacier travel or technical rock.
When is the best time to climb Washington's highest peaks?
July through September is the main season, once the snow settles and the high trails melt out. Early summer brings easier travel on firm snow over brush and talus, while late summer opens up the rock routes but leaves glaciers more broken. Many remote peaks are only practical for a few months each year.
Do I need a permit to climb these peaks?
It depends on where you are. Mount Rainier needs a climbing permit above 10,000 feet or on glaciers, Mount Adams needs a Cascade Volcano Pass above 7,000 feet in summer, and Mount St. Helens needs a climbing permit above 4,800 feet. Overnight trips in North Cascades National Park need a backcountry permit, camping in the Enchantments needs a permit from the lottery, and many Forest Service trailheads need a Northwest Forest Pass to park.
Is there an app to track the Washington 100 Highest?
Yes. Yak: Mountain Tracker is a free app for iPhone and Android that includes the Washington 100 Highest as a quest with all 100 Bulger peaks. Mark each peak as climbed, log the date with notes and photos, plan the peaks you have left and see how close you are to finishing the list.
Track the Washington 100 Highest
Log every Bulger peak as you climb it, from Mount Rainier to number 100