Mount Stanford
Encyclopedia
Mount Stanford, at an elevation of 13973 feet (4,259 m), is on the Kings-Kern Divide in Kings Canyon National Park
. It is named for Stanford University
. Although it is one of the highest peaks in California, Mount Stanford does not usually qualify for lists of California's highest peaks
because it has a prominence of less than 500 metres (1,640 ft) The peak is located about 3.6 miles (5.8 km) from University Peak
which was named for University of California
.
, he suggested the peak he climbed be named Stanford University peak if his first choice was rejected. The decision was make to give the name Castle Peak
to the summit in Placer County and Brown's first choice was accepted. Three years later, on August 16, 1899, Stanford University's President, David Starr Jordan
, also make the ascent with his wife and a party from Stanford. He had previously climbed in the Alps
.
In 1911 the U. S. Geological Survey
(USGS) named a peak in honor of the Leland Stanford
, an American tycoon, politician and founder of Stanford University. The name originally given this summit was Stanford Peak but in 1982 the USGS changed its name to Mount Stanford.
This other peak, with an elevation of 12838 feet (3,913 m), is located 59 miles (95 km)
to the north-northeast overlooking Pioneer Basin in the John Muir Wilderness
.
) scramble
. It can be ascended by experienced mountaineers without ropes or special equipment during the late summer months. It can be most easily be reached from the Onion Valley trailhead
, west of Independence
and off U. S. Route 395
.
Kings Canyon National Park
Kings Canyon National Park is a National Park in the southern Sierra Nevada, east of Fresno, California. The park was established in 1940 and covers...
. It is named for Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. Although it is one of the highest peaks in California, Mount Stanford does not usually qualify for lists of California's highest peaks
Mountain peaks of California
This article comprises three sortable tables of major mountain peaks of the U.S. State of California.Topographic elevation is the vertical distance above the reference geoid, a precise mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface...
because it has a prominence of less than 500 metres (1,640 ft) The peak is located about 3.6 miles (5.8 km) from University Peak
University Peak (California)
University Peak is a thirteener in the Sierra Nevada. Its name commemorates the University of California. It is on the Sierra crest between Mount Gould to the north, and Mount Bradley to the south. It lies partly in Tulare County and partly in Inyo County. Its west side is protected by Kings Canyon...
which was named for University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
.
History
On August 1, 1896 Professor Bolton Coit Brown of Stanford made the first to recorded ascent and requested that it be named Mount Stanford. Since there was another peak with the same name in Placer CountyPlacer County, California
Placer County is a county located in both the Sacramento Valley and Sierra Nevada regions of the U.S. state of California, in what is known as the Gold Country. It stretches from the suburbs of Sacramento to Lake Tahoe and the Nevada border. Because of the expansion of the Greater Sacramento,...
, he suggested the peak he climbed be named Stanford University peak if his first choice was rejected. The decision was make to give the name Castle Peak
Castle Peak (California)
Castle Peak is a mountain in California's Sierra Nevada near I-80, Donner Pass and the Nevada border. It is in the Tahoe National Forestnot far off the Pacific Crest Trail. It was originally named Mount Stanford by the Whitney Survey of 1860-74....
to the summit in Placer County and Brown's first choice was accepted. Three years later, on August 16, 1899, Stanford University's President, David Starr Jordan
David Starr Jordan
David Starr Jordan, Ph.D., LL.D. was a leading eugenicist, ichthyologist, educator and peace activist. He was president of Indiana University and Stanford University.-Early life and education:...
, also make the ascent with his wife and a party from Stanford. He had previously climbed in the Alps
Alps
The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
.
In 1911 the U. S. Geological Survey
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
(USGS) named a peak in honor of the Leland Stanford
Leland Stanford
Amasa Leland Stanford was an American tycoon, industrialist, robber baron, politician and founder of Stanford University.-Early years:...
, an American tycoon, politician and founder of Stanford University. The name originally given this summit was Stanford Peak but in 1982 the USGS changed its name to Mount Stanford.
This other peak, with an elevation of 12838 feet (3,913 m), is located 59 miles (95 km)
to the north-northeast overlooking Pioneer Basin in the John Muir Wilderness
John Muir Wilderness
The John Muir Wilderness is a wilderness area that extends along the crest of the Sierra Nevada of California, USA for , in the Inyo and Sierra National Forests. Established in 1964 by the Wilderness Act and named for naturalist John Muir, it contains...
.
Getting There
Mount Stanford is described as a (class 3Yosemite Decimal System
The Yosemite Decimal System is a three-part system used for rating the difficulty of walks, hikes, and climbs. It is primarily used by mountaineers in the United States and Canada. The Class 5 portion of the Class scale is primarily a rock climbing classification system. Originally the system was...
) scramble
Scrambling
Scrambling is a method of ascending rocky faces and ridges. It is an ambiguous term that lies somewhere between hillwalking and rock climbing. It is often distinguished from hillwalking by defining a scramble as a route where hands must be used in the ascent...
. It can be ascended by experienced mountaineers without ropes or special equipment during the late summer months. It can be most easily be reached from the Onion Valley trailhead
Trailhead
A trailhead is the point at which a trail begins, where the trail is often intended for hiking, biking, horseback riding, or off-road vehicles...
, west of Independence
Independence, California
Independence is the county seat of Inyo County, California. Independence is located south-southeast of Bishop, at an elevation of 3930 feet . The population of this census-designated place was 669 at the 2010 census, up from 574 at the 2000 census....
and off U. S. Route 395
U.S. Route 395 in California
In the U.S. state of California, U.S. Route 395 is a route which traverses from Interstate 15 near the southern city limits of Hesperia, north to the Oregon state line in Modoc County near Goose Lake...
.