Tinker Knob

Tinker Knob is located 5.5 miles (8.9 km) south-southeast of Donner Pass and 10 miles (16 km) northwest of Lake Tahoe, on land managed by Tahoe National Forest. It is situated on the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, with precipitation runoff from the peak draining west to North Fork American River and east to the Truckee River via Deep Creek and Cold Creek. Topographic relief is modest as the summit rises 2,350 feet (720 meters) above North Fork American River in one mile. Neighbors include Anderson Peak 1.2 miles (1.9 km) northwest, Mount Lincoln 3.8 miles (6.1 km) to the northwest, and line parent Granite Chief is 3.2 miles (5.1 km) to the south. The Pacific Crest Trail traverses the peak, providing an approach option from Donner Pass or Palisades Tahoe, and inclusion on the Sierra Peaks Section peakbagging list generates climbing interest.

This landform's toponym has been officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names,[4] and has appeared in publications since at least 1874.[7][8] The name commemorates James A. Tinker, a freight-hauling teamster whose road between Tinker's Station (now known as Soda Springs) and gold mines at Foresthill Divide passed below this peak to the west.[9] More specifically, the landform's name is a humorous reference to a resemblance to Tinker's nose.[10]

Tinker Knob, south aspect

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Tinker Knob is located in an alpine climate zone.[11] 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.

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• Weather forecast: Tinker Knob
• Tinker Knob (photo): Flickr