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 Forest[2] not far off the Pacific Crest Trail, and adjacent to Castle Pass. It was originally named Mount Stanford by the Whitney Survey of 1860–1874.
| Castle Peak | |
|---|---|
 Castle Peak from Andesite Peak | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 9,109 ft (2,776 m) NAVD 88[1] |
| Prominence | 1,343 ft (409 m)[2] |
| Listing | Sierra Peaks Section[3] |
| Coordinates | 39°21′56″N 120°20′57″W / 39.365485408°N 120.349175794°W[1] |
| Geography | |
  Castle Peak Location in California  Castle Peak Castle Peak (the United States) | |
| Location | Nevada County, California, U.S. |
| Parent range | Sierra Nevada |
| Topo map | USGS Norden |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Exposed scramble (class 3)[3] |
Castle Peak takes its name from its conical shape.[4]
Climate
editAccording to the Köppen climate classification system, Castle Peak is located in an alpine climate zone.[5] 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. Donner Pass averages 51.6 inches (1,310 mm) of precipitation per year,[6] and with an average of 411.5 inches (10.45 m) of snow per year, it is one of the snowiest places in the contiguous United States.[7]
Gallery
edit-
Castle Peak from the south ridge. The highest summit is on the left. -
South-southeast aspect -
View of Castle Peak's summit, from terminus of the Castle Peak Summit Trail.
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See also
edit- Sierra Nevada subalpine zone — habitat and forest surrounding peak.
References
edit- ^ a b "Castle Peak". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved 2009-07-04.
- ^ a b "Castle Peak, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2014-01-19.
- ^ a b "Sierra Peaks Section List" (PDF). Angeles Chapter, Sierra Club. Retrieved 2009-07-04.
- ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Government Printing Office. pp. 71.
- ^ "Climate of the Sierra Nevada". Encyclopædia Britannica.
- ^ "Climate Summary of Donner Summit, California 1870–2001". Journal of the Sierra College Natural History Museum. 2 (1). Winter 2009. Archived from the original on 2013-02-24. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
- ^ "Donner Summit Snowfall and Snowpack 1879–2011". Central Sierra Snow Laboratory. University of California, Berkeley.
External links
edit- "Castle Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2009-12-18.
- "Castle Peak". SummitPost.org.
- "Castle Peak Trail". Trailspotting. Retrieved 2009-12-18.
- "Alpine Ski Tours - Lake Tahoe: North - Backcountry Ski Maps".
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