Precipitation runoff from this mountain's east slope drains to the nearby Little Susitna River via Fishhook Creek, whereas the west side drains to the Susitna River via Willow Creek.

[2] Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 1,580 feet (482 meters) above the Independence Mines in 0.75 miles (1.21 km).

Hardrock gold mining began a few years later from high-grade vein lode deposits.

[8] The Willow Creek mining district lies at the southwestern edge of a great mass of granitic intrusions that form much of the Talkeetna Mountains and is within the Wrangellia composite terrane.

[9] At Hatcher Pass a pervasively altered zoned 74 million years old quartz diorite to tonalite pluton underlies the headwaters of Willow Creek and Fishhook Creek, with most of the gold deposits occurring in these rocks.