Jakes Peak

Jakes Peak
Jakes Peak
	South aspect centered, from Mt. Tallac
Highest point
Elevation	9,187 ft (2,800 m)
Prominence	227 ft (69 m)
Parent peak	Peak 9269
Isolation	1.01 mi (1.63 km)
Coordinates	38°58′12″N120°07′21″W / 38.9700026°N 120.1223728°W
Naming
Etymology	Jeffery "Jake" Smith
Geography
	Jakes Peak Location in California Jakes Peak Jakes Peak (the United States)
Location	El Dorado County, California, U.S.
Parent range	Sierra Nevada
Topo map	USGS Emerald Bay
Climbing
Easiest route	class 4

Last updated January 06, 2025

Jakes Peak is a 9,187-foot-elevation (2,800-meter) mountain summit located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in El Dorado County, California, United States. It is set within the Desolation Wilderness, on land managed by Eldorado National Forest. This iconic peak is situated above the southwest shore of Lake Tahoe, and approximately seven miles (11 km) northwest of the community of South Lake Tahoe. Topographic relief is significant as the east aspect rises 2,950 feet (900 meters) above the lake in 1.5 miles (2.4 km).

Etymology

This mountain's name remembers ski patroller Jeffery James Smith (1954–1982), commonly known as "Jake", and in honor of the other six persons who also died in an avalanche at the Alpine Meadows Ski Area on March 31, 1982.^[5] This landform's toponym was officially adopted in 1985 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.^[5]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Jakes Peak is located in an alpine climate zone.^[6] 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 the mountain drains to Lake Tahoe.

Gallery

Southeast aspect above Emerald Bay
Southeast aspect from Kiva Beach
Jakes Peak (left) and Lake Tahoe from Mount Tallac
Mount Tallac (left), Maggies Peaks (center), Jakes Peak (right).
Jakes Peak seen from Mount Tallac
Southeast aspect
Northeast aspect

Related Research Articles

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References

1 2 Barbara Lekisch (1988), Tahoe Place Names: The Origin and History of Names in the Lake Tahoe Basin, Great West Books, ISBN 9780944220016, p. 65
↑ United States Geological Survey topographical map - Emerald Bay
1 2 "Jakes Peak, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
1 2 3 "Jakes Peak - 9,187' CA". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
1 2 3 "Jakes Peak". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved June 7, 2022.
↑ "Climate of the Sierra Nevada". Encyclopædia Britannica .

External links

Weather forecast: Jakes Peak
Jake Smith (story and photo): Tahoe Quarterly

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[Barbara_Lekisch_1988-1] 1 2 Barbara Lekisch (1988), Tahoe Place Names: The Origin and History of Names in the Lake Tahoe Basin, Great West Books, ISBN 9780944220016, p. 65

[2] United States Geological Survey topographical map - Emerald Bay

[pb-3] 1 2 "Jakes Peak, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved June 7, 2022.

[listsofjohn-4] 1 2 3 "Jakes Peak - 9,187' CA". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved June 7, 2022.

[gnis-5] 1 2 3 "Jakes Peak". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved June 7, 2022.

[6] "Climate of the Sierra Nevada". Encyclopædia Britannica .

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