Junction Peak is a thirteener in the Sierra Nevada. Joseph Nisbet LeConte chose this name in 1896, noting that it marks the point where the Sierra Crest crosses the water divide of the Kern and Kings rivers.[7] Today it also is the boundary between Inyo and Tulare counties, and of Kings Canyon National Park, Sequoia National Park and the John Muir Wilderness.[1]
| Junction Peak | |
|---|---|
 "Junction Peak" by Ansel Adams, circa 1930s. | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 13,894 ft (4,235 m) NAVD 88[1] |
| Prominence | 765 ft (233 m)[1] |
| Parent peak | Mount Stanford[2] |
| Listing |
|
| Coordinates | 36°41′24″N 118°21′56″W / 36.689935°N 118.3656507°W[5] |
| Geography | |
  Junction Peak  Junction Peak | |
| Location | |
| Parent range | Sierra Nevada |
| Topo map | USGS Mount Williamson[5] |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | August 8, 1899 by Edwin Bingham Copeland and E. N. Henderson[6] |
| Easiest route | South Face, South Ridge or West Ridge (all class 3 scrambles)[6] |
Botanist Edwin Bingham Copeland and partner E. N. Henderson were the first climbers known to reach Junction Peak's summit, on August 8, 1899. They pioneered the class 3 South Ridge route, following the exposed ridge from Diamond Mesa to the top of Junction. Over the course of nearly a century, several more class 3 and 4 routes were established. The first winter climb was made by the West Ridge, culminating on March 21, 1973. The first technical climb recorded on Junction was the grade III 5.7 North Buttress route.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "Junction Peak, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ^ "Forester Pass". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ^ "Sierra Peaks Section List" (PDF). Angeles Chapter, Sierra Club. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ^ "Western States Climbers Qualifying Peak List". Climber.org. Retrieved 2016-03-24.
- ^ a b "Junction Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ^ a b c Secor, R.J. (2009). The High Sierra Peaks, Passes, and Trails (3rd ed.). Seattle: The Mountaineers. p. 147. ISBN 978-0898869712.
- ^ Farquhar, Francis P. (1926). Place Names of the High Sierra. San Francisco: Sierra Club. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
