Dragon Peak
Dragon Peak rises to 3,931 m in California. Mount Williamson stands 4,383 m to the south-southeast, 10.0 miles off. The nearest named place is Dragon Tooth, a peak 0.2 miles away.
The story
Dragon Peak is a 12,955-foot-elevation (3,949-meter) mountain summit located on the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in northern California. It is situated on the common border of Fresno County with Inyo County, as well as the boundary shared by John Muir Wilderness and Kings Canyon National Park. It is 10 miles (16 km) west of the community of Independence, and 1.3 miles (2.1 km) south of Black Mountain. Dragon Peak ranks as the 161st-highest summit in California. Topographic relief is significant as the north aspect rises 1,900 feet (580 meters) above Dragon Lake in less than one mile. This mountain is habitat for the endangered Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep, which restricts climbing from July through December, so most ascents are made in the spring. The first ascent of the summit was made in 1920 by either Norman Clyde, or Fred Parker and J. E. Rother. The John Muir Trail traverses two miles west of this peak, providing an approach option. The mountain is so named because of the shape of its outline as seen from Rae Lakes.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q49025772, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 3931 m
How to reach it
Named places within 25 miles
- Dragon Tooth: 0.2 mi
- Mount Gould: 0.8 mi
- Falcor Peak: 1.0 mi
- Black Mountain: 1.3 mi
- Painted Lady: 1.3 mi
- Tub Springs: 4.2 mi
- Boron Springs: 5.9 mi
- McGann Springs: 6.3 mi
- Grover Anton Spring: 8.1 mi
- Harry Birch Springs: 9.6 mi
- Shorty's Vidette Meadow Cabin: 3.0 mi
- Shorty's Woods Creek Crossing Cabin: 6.5 mi
- Donald Downs Plaque: 6.9 mi
- Shorty's Gardiner Basin Cabin: 7.3 mi
- Shorty's Sphinx Creek Cabin: 8.1 mi
- Upper Gardiner Falls: 4.9 mi
- Lower Gardiner Falls: 4.9 mi
- Mist Falls: 9.7 mi
- Roaring River Falls: 13.6 mi
- Lower Picket Creek Falls: 15.3 mi
- Chicken Ranch: 17.1 mi
- Boot Arch: 17.3 mi
- Cyclops Skull Arch: 17.4 mi
- Man of Steel (movie site): 17.6 mi
- Iron Man (movie site): 17.9 mi
- Muro Blanco: 11.5 mi
- Ebersbacher Ledges: 15.7 mi
- Windy Cliff: 18.1 mi
- Paul's Paradise: 19.0 mi
- Valhalla: 19.1 mi
- Bk 34 Mess Hall Garden: 12.7 mi
- Japanese Garden: 12.8 mi
- Rose Garden: 12.8 mi
- Arai Pond: 12.8 mi
- Bk 12 Mess Hall Garden: 13.0 mi
- Whitney Portal Arch: 17.8 mi
- Mobius Arch: 18.5 mi
- Lathe Arch: 18.5 mi
- Heart Arch: 18.6 mi
- Hitching Post Arch: 19.8 mi
- Eastern California Museum: 9.5 mi
- Mary Austin's House: 9.7 mi
- Manzanar National Historic Site Visitor Center: 13.4 mi
- Southern Inyo Museum: 21.5 mi
- Museum of Western Film History: 21.8 mi
- Dehy Park: 9.6 mi
- Independence Park: 9.9 mi
- Merritt Park: 12.8 mi
- Spainhower Park: 21.3 mi
- Diaz Lake Recreation Area: 23.8 mi
- Kearsarge: 3.1 mi
- Bend City: 13.7 mi
- San Carlos: 13.9 mi
- Fort Independence Travel Plaza: 8.7 mi
- Division Creek Rest Area: 13.2 mi
- Paiute Mural: 12.9 mi
- Miss Alabama: 20.4 mi
- Whitney Portal Picnic Area: 16.0 mi
- Grizzly Falls Picnic Area: 20.4 mi
- Kern Hot Spring: 21.7 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 10.3 miles of Dragon Peak. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Williamson | SSE 159° | 4,383 m | 10.0 mi |
| Mount Tyndall | SSE 167° | 4,275 m | 9.6 mi |
| Mount Stanford | S 190° | 4,260.2 m | 6.1 mi |
| Gregory's Monument | S 190° | 4,254.4 m | 6.2 mi |
| Mount Keith | SSE 164° | 4,249 m | 6.5 mi |
| Junction Peak | S 175° | 4,224 m | 6.9 mi |
| Caltech Peak | S 187° | 4,216.5 m | 7.1 mi |
| Mount Ericsson | SSW 198° | 4,150.7 m | 6.8 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 06:58 | 18:31 | 19:06 |
| June solstice | 05:36 | 19:38 | 20:17 |
| September equinox | 06:42 | 18:18 | 18:52 |
| December solstice | 07:03 | 16:01 | 16:42 |
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, 10 mi away.
Inside the official boundary of Kings Canyon National Park.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidata- USGS Geographic Names Information System feature 259526 — Dragon Peak, Inyo County, California.
OpenStreetMap element node/358797616
Day trips start here
Take the scenic way to Dragon Peak.
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