Stevens Peak (California)

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Stevens Peak
Hope Valley, Stevens Peak.jpg
Northeast aspect
Highest point
Elevation 10,051 ft (3,064 m) [1] [2]
Prominence 499 ft (152 m) [3]
Parent peak Red Lake Peak (10,072 ft) [4]
Isolation 1.34 mi (2.16 km) [4]
Coordinates 38°44′01″N119°58′58″W / 38.7335294°N 119.9826478°W / 38.7335294; -119.9826478 [5]
Naming
Etymology J. M. Stevens
Geography
Relief map of California.png
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Stevens Peak
Location in California
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Stevens Peak
Stevens Peak (the United States)
Location Alpine County, California, U.S.
Parent range Sierra Nevada [3]
Topo map USGS Carson Pass
Climbing
Easiest route class 2 [4]

Stevens Peak is a 10,059-foot-elevation (3,066-meter) mountain summit located in Alpine County, California, United States.

Contents

Description

This landmark of Hope Valley is set 13 miles (21 km) south of South Lake Tahoe, on land managed by Humboldt–Toiyabe National Forest. Stevens Peak is situated in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, with precipitation runoff from the peak's east slope draining to the West Fork Carson River, whereas the west slope drains into the Upper Truckee River. The summit is situated 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of line parent Red Lake Peak, and three miles (4.8 km) north of Carson Pass. Topographic relief is significant as the east aspect rises 2,700 feet (820 meters) above California State Route 88 in 1.5 mile.

History

John C. Frémont was the first European-American to see Lake Tahoe, during his second exploratory expedition. [6] He and Charles Preuss saw the lake from the summit of what was likely Stevens Peak (or possibly Red Lake Peak) on February 14, 1844. [7] [8]

This landform's toponym has been officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, [5] and has been in use since at least 1896 when published by the Sierra Club. [9] The name honors Alpine County supervisor J. M. Stevens who operated a stage station in Hope Valley from 1864 through 1866. [2] The USGS surveyed this area in 1889 and labelled the geographic feature on their map. [10]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Stevens Peak is located in an alpine climate zone. [11] 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.

See also

Notes

References

  1. ↑ United States Geological Survey topographical map - Carson Pass
  2. 1 2 Peter Browning, Place Names of the Sierra Nevada: From Abbot to Zumwalt, 1986, Wilderness Press, ISBN   9780899970479, p. 209.
  3. 1 2 "Stevens Peak, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Stevens Peak - 10,051' CA". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  5. 1 2 "Stevens Peak". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Lake Tahoe Facts and Figures". Tahoe Regional Planning Association. Archived from the original on February 5, 2012. Retrieved October 26, 2008.
  7. ↑ Fred Nathaniel Fletcher (1980), Early Nevada: The Period of Exploration, 1776-1848, University of Nevada Press, ISBN   9780874170610, p. 127
  8. ↑ Douglas E. Kyle, Hero Eugene Rensch, Ethel Grace Rensch, Mildred Brooke Hoover, William Abeloe (2002), Historic Spots in California, Fifth Edition, Stanford University Press, ISBN   9780804778176
  9. ↑ Sierra Club Bulletin, Volume 1, 1896, p. 13
  10. ↑ Erwin Gustav Gudde (1960), California Place Names, University of California Press, p. 321
  11. ↑ "Climate of the Sierra Nevada". Encyclopædia Britannica .
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