Elephants Back

Elephants Back is a 9,585-foot-elevation (2,922 meter) mountain summit located in Alpine County, California, United States.

Elephants Back
North aspect
Highest point
Elevation9,585 ft (2,922 m)[1][2]
Prominence465 ft (142 m)[3]
Parent peakRound Top (10,381ft)[4]
Isolation1.43 mi (2.30 km)[4]
Coordinates38°40′42″N 119°58′59″W[5]
Geography
Elephants Back is located in California
Elephants Back
Elephants Back
Location in California
Elephants Back is located in the United States
Elephants Back
Elephants Back
Elephants Back (the United States)
LocationMokelumne Wilderness
CountryUnited States of America
StateCalifornia
CountyAlpine
Parent rangeSierra Nevada[3]
Topo mapUSGS Carson Pass
Geology
Age of rockMiocene
Mountain typeLava dome
Type of rockandesitic
Climbing
First ascent1844
Easiest routeclass 1 hiking[4]

Description

This landmark of Hope Valley is set in the Mokelumne Wilderness of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The summit is situated one mile south of Carson Pass and 1.4 miles (2.3 km) northeast of line parent Round Top. Elephants Back is a lava dome which was created in association with the now-inactive volcanic vent that is Round Top.[6] Precipitation runoff from the peak's east slope drains to the West Fork Carson River via Red Lake Creek, whereas the west slope drains to Caples Lake via Woods Creek. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 1,600 feet (490 meters) above Forestdale Creek in less than one mile. The Pacific Crest Trail traverses the eastern and northern slopes of this peak, providing an approach from California State Route 88.

History
Kit Carson, John Frémont

During his second exploratory expedition, John C. Frémont camped at the base of Elephants Back's north ridge on February 9, 1844. At this spot, the party burned two trees to protect themselves from icy winds of a fierce winter storm.[7] Frémont and Kit Carson made the first known ascent of Elephants Back three days earlier, on February 6, 1844, and were able to see the Sacramento Valley from the summit.[8]

The United States Geological Survey surveyed this area in 1889 and labelled this geographic feature on their 1893 Markleeville quadrangle map. This landform is so named because of its resemblance to the animal.[9] This landform's toponym has been officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.[5] It has also been called "Elephant Mountain", "Elephant's Back", and "The Elephant."[5]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Elephants Back is located in an alpine climate zone.[10] 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.

Geology

Elephants Back is an andesitic lava dome, a type of volcano. Due to its position, it could be a flank vent of Round Top (Alpine County, California).

  • Winter scene from slopes of Red Lake Peak at Carson Pass with Elephants Back centered at top
    Winter scene from slopes of Red Lake Peak at Carson Pass with Elephants Back centered at top
  • West aspect of Elephants Back from the trail to Winnemucca Lake.
    West aspect of Elephants Back from the trail to Winnemucca Lake.
  • Southwest aspect of Elephants Back, with Winnemucca Lake
    Southwest aspect of Elephants Back, with Winnemucca Lake
  • Elephants Back (left) and Round Top (right)
    Elephants Back (left) and Round Top (right)
  • North aspect of Elephants Back rises above Carson Pass
    North aspect of Elephants Back rises above Carson Pass
  • Winnemucca Lake, Elephants Back, and Hope Valley seen from Round Top
    Winnemucca Lake, Elephants Back, and Hope Valley seen from Round Top
  • Elephants Back (left) and Round Top (right) seen from Hope Valley.
    Elephants Back (left) and Round Top (right) seen from Hope Valley.
  • East aspect
    East aspect
  • Caples Lake with Elephants Back to left and Round Top centered.
    Caples Lake with Elephants Back to left and Round Top centered.
  • Elephants Back to left
    Elephants Back to left

See also

References
  1. United States Geological Survey topographical map - Carson Pass
  2. Peter Browning, Place Names of the Sierra Nevada: From Abbot to Zumwalt, 1986, Wilderness Press, ISBN 9780899970479, p. 64.
  3. "Elephants Back, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2022-07-01.
  4. "Elephants Back - 9,585' CA". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2022-07-01.
  5. "Elephants Back". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2022-07-01.
  6. Matt Johanson (2019), Sierra Summits: A Guide to Fifty Peak Experiences in California's Range of Light, Falcon Guides, ISBN 9781493036455, p. 45
  7. Ferol Egan (2012), Fremont: Explorer for a Restless Nation, University of Nevada Press, ISBN 9780874178982
  8. Tom Chaffin (2014), Pathfinder: John Charles Frémont and the Course of American Empire, University of Oklahoma Press, ISBN 9780806146072
  9. Erwin Gustav Gudde (1960), California Place Names, University of California Press, p. 100
  10. "Climate of the Sierra Nevada". Encyclopædia Britannica.
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