Birch Mountain

Birch Mountain rises to 4,134 m in California. North Palisade stands 4,343 m to the west-northwest, 5.7 miles off. The nearest named place is The Thumb, a peak 1.6 miles away.
The story
Birch Mountain, or Paokrung (Northern Paiute for "Mountain of Stone"), is one of the fifty highest peaks of California. Of the major peaks of the Palisades, it stands farthest from the Sierra Crest. Judging by its few summit register entries, it is climbed far less than its nearby fourteener neighbors on the crest. But its placement on the Sierra Peaks Section list adds to its appeal to peak baggers, and its low technical demand makes it a rewarding ski mountaineering destination.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q4915679, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 4134 m
How to reach it
Named places within 25 miles
- The Thumb: 1.6 mi
- Mount Bolton Brown: 1.7 mi
- Mount Prater: 2.0 mi
- Mount Tinemaha: 2.2 mi
- Balcony Peak: 2.6 mi
- Grouse Spring: 5.7 mi
- Big Pine Spring: 7.8 mi
- Fish Springs: 9.1 mi
- Scotty Spring: 10.2 mi
- Big Seeley Spring: 11.0 mi
- First Falls: 4.5 mi
- Second Falls: 5.3 mi
- Triple Falls: 9.3 mi
- Upper Gardiner Falls: 17.0 mi
- Lower Gardiner Falls: 17.0 mi
- Mendenhall Park: 10.1 mi
- Big Pine Triangle County Park: 10.4 mi
- Starlite Playground and Park: 19.3 mi
- Izaak Walton Park: 20.6 mi
- Bulpitt Park: 20.7 mi
- Windy Cliff: 9.0 mi
- Great Cliffs: 10.5 mi
- Muro Blanco: 12.0 mi
- Slide Bluffs: 16.8 mi
- Chalk Bluff: 24.3 mi
- Paiute-Shoshone Indian Cultural Center: 20.7 mi
- American Mule Museum: 21.1 mi
- Eastern California Museum: 21.6 mi
- Mary Austin's House: 21.7 mi
- Laws Railroad Museum: 23.5 mi
- South Lake Picnic Area: 11.0 mi
- La Hupp Picnic Area: 11.3 mi
- Piñyon Picnic Area Nature Trail: 21.8 mi
- Rock Monster: 11.5 mi
- Saline Valley Road OHV Trailhead: 20.8 mi
- John Muir Rock: 24.8 mi
- Kearsarge: 18.2 mi
- Bend City: 23.2 mi
- San Carlos: 24.1 mi
- Division Creek Rest Area: 12.8 mi
- Fort Independence Travel Plaza: 18.8 mi
- Bishop Community Garden: 21.0 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 9.9 miles of Birch Mountain. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Palisade | WNW 292° | 4,343 m | 5.7 mi |
| Starlight Peak | WNW 293° | 4,323.7 m | 5.8 mi |
| Mount Sill | WNW 296° | 4,316 m | 5.2 mi |
| Polemonium Peak | WNW 292° | 4,298.2 m | 5.6 mi |
| Middle Palisade | W 281° | 4,278.2 m | 2.8 mi |
| Split Mountain | S 184° | 4,269 m | 2.9 mi |
| Thunderbolt Peak | WNW 294° | 4,268 m | 5.9 mi |
| Disappointment Peak | W 278° | 4,258.6 m | 2.7 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 06:58 | 18:32 | 19:06 |
| June solstice | 05:35 | 19:39 | 20:18 |
| September equinox | 06:42 | 18:18 | 18:52 |
| December solstice | 07:04 | 16:00 | 16:41 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 40 | 43 | 49 | 55 | 64 | 73 | 78 | 76 | 69 | 58 | 46 | 38 |
| Precip in | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.7 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Bishop AP, 22 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/358795088
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