Nooksack Tower, Summit in North Cascades National Park, Washington, United States

Nooksack Tower is a summit in North Cascades National Park that reaches about 8,285 feet in elevation. It sits within the Mount Shuksan massif and forms a jagged peak surrounded by steep terrain.

The North Cascades were assembled from oceanic and continental terranes about 50 million years ago, during the late Eocene. Pleistocene glaciation then scoured the range, and repeated advance and retreat of ice left rock debris and carved the U-shaped valleys. Uplift and faulting combined with this glaciation to raise the tall peaks and deep valleys around Nooksack Tower.

Nooksack Tower is one of the hardest climbs in the Cascade Range: routes cross loose rock, slopes of 50 degrees or more and ice ridges, and access and exposure add to the difficulty. The descent can require ten or more rappels.

The climb is steep and technical, requiring solid mountaineering skills and good physical fitness. Visitors should prepare for rapidly changing weather and bring appropriate gear for high-altitude conditions.

The descent from Nooksack Tower may require ten or more rappels, a detail that shapes how climbers plan the route. The tower rises 0.75 miles northeast of Mount Shuksan's main summit and overlooks Nooksack Cirque to the west.