McDonald Peak

Mountain in Montana, United States

McDonald Peak

Location in Montana

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McDonald Peak

Location in the United States

Show map of the United States

LocationLake County, Montana, U.S.Parent rangeMission MountainsTopo mapUSGS Mount Calowahcan, MT

McDonald Peak, elevation 9,820 feet (2,993 m), is located in the U.S. state of Montana and is the highest peak in the Mission Mountains.^[1]^[3] McDonald Peak is situated within the Flathead Indian Reservation. The peak has the second greatest topographic prominence (after Crazy Peak) of all summits within Montana and is almost 80 miles (130 km) away from the next highest mountain in the state.^[1]^[4] McDonald Glacier is on the north slope of the peak.

During the summer the summit and surrounding area are inhabited by grizzly bears for the purpose of feeding on insects. Consequently, in the interests of conservation and safety, the area is closed to hikers between July 15 and September 30.^[5]

Climate

Climate data for McDonald Peak 47.3863 N, 113.9171 W, Elevation: 9,160 ft (2,792 m) (1991–2020 normals)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	22.9 (−5.1)	22.6 (−5.2)	26.6 (−3.0)	32.2 (0.1)	41.4 (5.2)	49.1 (9.5)	60.3 (15.7)	60.5 (15.8)	51.7 (10.9)	38.0 (3.3)	26.7 (−2.9)	21.6 (−5.8)	37.8 (3.2)
Daily mean °F (°C)	16.0 (−8.9)	14.4 (−9.8)	17.5 (−8.1)	22.4 (−5.3)	31.0 (−0.6)	38.2 (3.4)	48.0 (8.9)	48.1 (8.9)	40.0 (4.4)	28.8 (−1.8)	20.1 (−6.6)	15.2 (−9.3)	28.3 (−2.1)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	9.2 (−12.7)	6.3 (−14.3)	8.3 (−13.2)	12.6 (−10.8)	20.5 (−6.4)	27.2 (−2.7)	35.8 (2.1)	35.7 (2.1)	28.3 (−2.1)	19.7 (−6.8)	13.5 (−10.3)	8.7 (−12.9)	18.8 (−7.3)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	8.94 (227)	7.05 (179)	7.73 (196)	6.69 (170)	6.18 (157)	6.01 (153)	1.83 (46)	1.88 (48)	3.43 (87)	5.42 (138)	7.88 (200)	8.46 (215)	71.5 (1,816)
Source: PRISM Climate Group^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "McDonald Peak, Montana". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
^ "McDonald Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
^ Mount Calowahcan, MT (Map). TopoQwest (United States Geological Survey Maps). Retrieved January 16, 2019.
^ "Montana Peaks with 2000 feet of Prominence". Peakbagger. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
^ "McDonald Peak : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost".
^ "PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University". PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University. Retrieved October 4, 2023. To find the table data on the PRISM website, start by clicking Coordinates (under Location); copy Latitude and Longitude figures from top of table; click Zoom to location; click Precipitation, Minimum temp, Mean temp, Maximum temp; click 30-year normals, 1991-2020; click 800m; click Retrieve Time Series button.