Sawtooth Peak is a mountain rising to a height of . It is a landmark of the Mineral King region of the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

, in

Sequoia National Park Sequoia National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in the southern Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada east of Visalia, California. The park was established on September 25, 1890, and toda ...

. In the past, it was known as Miner's Peak. It contains a supply of gold and mercury.

Hiking

The trailhead up to Sawtooth Peak starts in Mineral King, off of

California State Route 198 State Route 198 (SR 198) is an east–west state highway in the U.S. state of California that runs from U.S. Route 101 (US 101) south of King City to Sequoia National Park. It connects the California Central Coast to the mid– Centra ...

on Mineral King Road. The trailhead is located at the end of Mineral King Road in a parking lot/staging area. The trail up to the peak is round trip and is rated difficult. The last half-mile of the trail is mainly loose gravel and steep switchbacks. The base of the trail is at elevation and climbs up to some at the top of Sawtooth Pass; the summit of the peak is at . Hiking is recommended from May to October. Permits are required for overnight stays.

Climbing

The easiest approach is from the valley to Sawtooth Pass, and then up the northwest slope of the peak. It was first climbed by Joseph Lovelace during a deer hunt in 1871. Today, this approach follows an established trail to Sawtooth Pass, then continues on a cross-country route to the peak. The section of trail from Monarch Lakes to Sawtooth Pass is steep and marred by granite sand, and as such is prone to erosion. The trailhead, shared with the Timber Gap trail, is located in the Mineral King Valley, about 1/2 mile (0.80 km) uphill from the Ranger Station. It starts at , is approximately round trip, and the route reaches a final elevation of at the peak.

Climate

According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Sawtooth Peak is located in an

alpine climate Alpine climate is the typical 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 of alpine cli ...

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 ins ...

s originate in the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

, 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.

References

External links

* * Mountains of Sequoia National Park Mountains of Tulare County, California Mountains of Northern California Sierra Nevada (United States) Three-thousanders of the United States {{TulareCountyCA-geo-stub