Vennacher Needle

Vennacher Needle
Vennacher Needle
	North aspect, from JMT in Upper Basin
Highest point
Elevation	12,995 ft (3,961 m)
Prominence	889 ft (271 m)
Parent peak	Twin Peaks ( 13,061 ft)
Isolation	2.85 mi (4.59 km)
Coordinates	36°59′56″N 118°28′26″W / 36.9987692°N 118.4738419°W
Geography
	Vennacher Needle Location in California Vennacher Needle Vennacher Needle (the United States)
Location	Kings Canyon National Park; Fresno County; California, U.S.
Parent range	Sierra Nevada
Topo map	USGS Mount Pinchot
Geology
Rock type	granitic
Climbing
Easiest route	class 2 Southeast slope

Vennacher Needle is a 12,995-foot-elevation (3,961-meter) mountain summit located in Kings Canyon National Park, in Fresno County of northern California, United States.^[3] It is situated west of the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, and 1.4 miles (2.3 km) north of Mount Ruskin.^[1] Topographic relief is significant as the east aspect rises nearly 2,300 feet (700 meters) above the Upper Basin of South Fork Kings River in one mile. The John Muir Trail, which passes one mile to the east of this mountain, provides one possible approach option. This mountain's name has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names.^[3]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Vennacher Needle is located in an alpine climate zone.^[4] Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean, and travel east toward the Sierra Nevada 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 snowfall onto the range. Precipitation runoff from this mountain drains into tributaries of the Kings River.