Topographic relief is significant as the south aspect rises 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) above Gray Wolf River in approximately 2.5 miles.

[3] New settlers to the Olympic Peninsula near the end of the 19th century brought devastating fires started by land clearing and logging activities.

[7] Weather fronts originating in the Pacific Ocean travel northeast toward the Olympic Mountains.

As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks (orographic lift), causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snow.

[9] The mountains were sculpted during the Pleistocene era by erosion and glaciers advancing and retreating multiple times.