Freel Peak is a mountain located in the
Carson Range
The Carson Range is a spur of the Sierra Nevada in eastern California and western Nevada that starts at Carson Pass and stretches north to the Truckee River near Verdi, Nevada.
Geography
The mountain range is about 50 miles (80 km) long a ...
, a spur of the
Sierra Nevada, near
Lake Tahoe in
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
.
The peak is on the boundary between
El Dorado County
El Dorado County (), officially the County of El Dorado, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 191,185. The county seat is Placerville. The County is part of the Sacramento- Roseville-A ...
and
Alpine County
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, image_skyline =
, image_flag = Flag of Alpine County, California.svg
, flag_size =
, image_seal = Seal of Alpine Co ...
; and the boundary between the
Eldorado National Forest
Eldorado National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in the central Sierra Nevada mountain range, in eastern California.
Geography
Most of the forest (72.8%) lies in El Dorado County. In descending order of land area the others counties ...
and the
Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.
[
]
At , it is the tallest summit in the Carson Range, El Dorado County, and the Tahoe Basin.
Due to its elevation, most of the precipitation that falls on the mountain is snow.
In 1893, the
U.S. Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the 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 ...
assigned the name Freel Peak to what was then known as Jobs Peak. James Freel was an early settler in the area.
Climate
According to the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
system, Freel Peak is located in an
alpine climate
Alpine climate is the typical weather (climate) for elevations above the tree line, where trees fail to grow due to cold. This climate is also referred to as a mountain climate or highland climate.
Definition
There are multiple definitions o ...
zone.
Most
weather front
A weather front is a boundary separating air masses for which several characteristics differ, such as air density, wind, temperature, and humidity. Disturbed and unstable weather due to these differences often arises along the boundary. For in ...
s originate in the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
, and travel east toward the Sierra Nevada mountains. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks (
orographic lift
Orographic lift occurs when an air mass is forced from a low elevation to a higher elevation as it moves over rising terrain. As the air mass gains altitude it quickly cools down adiabatically, which can raise the relative humidity to 100% and cr ...
), causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or
snowfall onto the range.
Gallery
File:A Blustery Tahoe Day.jpg, Freel Peak and Lake Tahoe
File:Freel Peak, CA.jpg, Freel Peak seen from Jobs Sister
File:Hawkins Peak vista north.jpg, Freel Peak, Jobs Sister, and Jobs Peak seen from Hawkins Peak.
References
Mountains of the Sierra Nevada (United States)
Mountains of El Dorado County, California
Mountains of Alpine County, California
Eldorado National Forest
Humboldt–Toiyabe National Forest
Mountains of Northern California
North American 3000 m summits
{{ElDoradoCountyCA-geo-stub