Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 3,000 feet (914 meters) above the Sol Duc River in 1.5 mile (2.4 km).

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

Set in the northwest portion of the Olympic Mountains, Mount Appleton is located in the marine west coast climate zone of western North America.

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.

[6] He was a pioneering physician who made house calls in some of the most rural parts of Clallam County and was the first white doctor to treat Native Americans in this area.