5. Beauty & Effort

This guide uses a dual rating system for beauty and effort, both on a scale of 1–10. One score is for the overall beauty of the destination and the other is for the overall effort to get there starting from the trailhead. We have included these scores to help you decide which peaks to climb. Peaks with high beauty scores are the obvious ones to climb first (especially on days with clear skies). The effort score gives you an indication of how much exertion the route entails.

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Beauty Score

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder—our spectacular vista may be ho-hum to you. The 1–10 beauty score for each peak is purely subjective. It is based on our global opinion, which includes the view from the summit, the vistas from the higher slopes, views of glaciers, the terrain on the way to the summit, and the variety of the climb. We tend to be vista oriented, so if there is no view from the summit or the vistas are less than spectacular, we give a lower beauty score. A score of 10 is reserved for the 10 best of the 100. Frankly, the peaks with the high beauty scores should be reserved for bluebird weather. Why go to one of the most spectacular places on the earth on a day obscured by clouds and mist? Scores of 5 or lower may be wonderful climbs but will not have the awesomeness of the higher-rated peaks. Perhaps the peaks with lower beauty scores should be climbed on cloudy days.

Peaks with Beauty Scores of 10

Burroughs, Third (S) 

Cowlitz, Main (C) 

Echo (S) 

Goat Island Mountain (S) 

Little Tahoma (C) 

Pyramid (S) 

Sluiskin Chief (C) 

Sluiskin Squaw (S) 

Tokaloo Rocks(S) 

Whitman Crest (C) 

Effort Score

The effort rating is also on a 1–10 scale, with 10 denoting the most exertion. Like the beauty score, this is a subjective assessment. The rating is based on factors such as total elevation, distance, and brush bashing. We hate brush bashing, so those climbs with a lot of it (or even modest amounts of it) get a higher score. The two overnight climbs (Little Tahoma and Whitman Crest) automatically get a 10 because of the effort required to carry the extra gear and the combined distance and elevation over the two days.

Peaks with Effort Scores of 10

Cowlitz, Main (C) 

Double Peak (S) 

Little Tahoma (C) 

Mother, Third (C) 

Pigeon Peak (S) 

Pyramid (S) 

Redstone (C) 

Tirzah (S) 

Steamboat Prow (S) 

Whitman Crest (C) 

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