Crater Mountain
Crater Mountain rises to 3,924 m in California. Middle Palisade stands 4,278 m to the north-northwest, 11 miles off. The nearest named place is Mount Ickes, a peak 1.2 miles away.
The story
Crater Mountain is a 12,874-foot-elevation (3,924-meter) mountain summit located west of the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, in Fresno County of northern California, United States. It is situated in eastern Kings Canyon National Park, 15.5 miles (24.9 km) northwest of the community of Independence, one mile immediately southwest of Pinchot Pass, and 1.3 miles (2.1 km) southeast of Mount Ickes, which is the nearest higher neighbor. Other nearby peaks include Mount Wynne, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the northeast, and Mount Cedric Wright, 2.2 miles (3.5 km) to the southeast. Crater Mountain ranks as the 186th highest summit in California. Topographic relief is significant, as the west aspect rises 2,000 feet (610 meters) in less than one mile. The approach to this remote peak is made via the John Muir Trail, which passes below the east aspect of the mountain. The first ascent of the summit was made July 19, 1922, by W. H. Ink, Meyers Butte, Frank Baxter, and Captain Wallace. This mountain has no crater as the name implies.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q35736423, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 3924.4 m
How to reach it
Named places within 25 miles
- Mount Ickes: 1.2 mi
- Mount Wynne: 1.5 mi
- Mount Pinchot: 1.9 mi
- Mount Perkins: 2.2 mi
- Mount Cedric Wright: 2.2 mi
- Scotty Spring: 5.4 mi
- Harry Birch Springs: 7.4 mi
- Grover Anton Spring: 7.8 mi
- McGann Springs: 8.5 mi
- Little Blackrock Spring: 10.3 mi
- Shorty's Woods Creek Crossing Cabin: 3.4 mi
- Shorty's Gardiner Basin Cabin: 8.0 mi
- Shorty's Granite Pass Cabin: 10.5 mi
- Shorty's Bubbs Creek Cabin: 11.6 mi
- Shorty's Vidette Meadow Cabin: 11.7 mi
- Upper Gardiner Falls: 7.4 mi
- Lower Gardiner Falls: 7.5 mi
- Triple Falls: 8.6 mi
- Mist Falls: 10.3 mi
- First Falls: 14.1 mi
- Bk 34 Mess Hall Garden: 19.6 mi
- Japanese Garden: 19.7 mi
- Rose Garden: 19.7 mi
- Arai Pond: 19.7 mi
- Bk 22 Mess Hall Garden: 19.9 mi
- Muro Blanco: 5.6 mi
- Windy Cliff: 9.8 mi
- Great Cliffs: 11.7 mi
- Slide Bluffs: 14.1 mi
- Windy Cliffs: 23.3 mi
- Dehy Park: 14.5 mi
- Independence Park: 15.1 mi
- Mendenhall Park: 18.5 mi
- Big Pine Triangle County Park: 18.8 mi
- Merritt Park: 19.7 mi
- Kearsarge: 9.4 mi
- Bend City: 17.6 mi
- San Carlos: 18.2 mi
- Eastern California Museum: 14.6 mi
- Mary Austin's House: 14.7 mi
- Manzanar National Historic Site Visitor Center: 20.2 mi
- South Lake Picnic Area: 18.9 mi
- La Hupp Picnic Area: 19.5 mi
- Grizzly Falls Picnic Area: 19.6 mi
- Division Creek Rest Area: 10.2 mi
- Fort Independence Travel Plaza: 12.1 mi
- Rock Monster: 17.1 mi
- Paiute Mural: 19.8 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 11.1 miles of Crater Mountain. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Palisade | NNW 345° | 4,278.2 m | 10.6 mi |
| Split Mountain | N 359° | 4,269 m | 6.8 mi |
| Disappointment Peak | NNW 346° | 4,258.6 m | 10.4 mi |
| Norman Clyde Peak | NNW 344° | 4,245.2 m | 10.9 mi |
| Balcony Peak | NNW 346° | 4,237.2 m | 10.4 mi |
| Birch Mountain | N 1° | 4,134 m | 9.7 mi |
| Mount Bolton Brown | N 353° | 4,124.3 m | 8.6 mi |
| Mount Pinchot | NNE 27° | 4,113.6 m | 1.9 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 | 19:38 | 20:17 |
| September equinox | 06:42 | 18:18 | 18:52 |
| December solstice | 07:04 | 16:01 | 16:41 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 44 | 47 | 54 | 60 | 69 | 79 | 85 | 83 | 76 | 64 | 52 | 43 |
| Precip in | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.9 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Independence, 15 mi away.
Inside the official boundary of Kings Canyon National Park.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidata- USGS Geographic Names Information System feature 221806 — Crater Mountain, Fresno County, California.
OpenStreetMap element node/358764294
Take the scenic way to Crater Mountain.
Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.