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Palisades (California Sierra)
Encyclopedia
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. They are located about 12 miles (19 km) southwest of the town of Big Pine, California
Big Pine, California
Big Pine is a census-designated place in Inyo County, California, United States. Big Pine is located south-southeast of Bishop, at an elevation of 3990 feet . The population was 1,756 at the 2010 census, up from 1,350 at the 2000 census...
. The peaks in the group are particularly steep, rugged peaks and "contain the finest alpine climbing in California."
The group makes up about 6 miles (10 km) of the Sierra Crest, which divides the Central Valley
California Central Valley
California's Central Valley is a large, flat valley that dominates the central portion of California. It is home to California's most productive agricultural efforts. The valley stretches approximately from northwest to southeast inland and parallel to the Pacific Ocean coast. Its northern half is...
watershed from the Owens Valley
Owens Valley
Owens Valley is the arid valley of the Owens River in eastern California in the United States, to the east of the Sierra Nevada and west of the White Mountains and Inyo Mountains on the west edge of the Great Basin section...
, and which runs generally northwest to southeast.
Summitpost quotes Tom Browning, in Place Names of the Sierra Nevada, as saying:
"The Palisades were named by the Brewer party of the Whitney Survey in 1864. '...along the Main crest of the Sierra is a range of peaks, from 13,500 to 14,000 feet high, which we called "the Palisades." ...they were very grand and fantastic in shape."
On the northeast side of the group lie the Palisade Glacier
Palisade Glaciers
The Palisade Glacier is a glacier located on the northeast side of the Palisades within the John Muir Wilderness in the central Sierra Nevada of California. The Palisade Glacier is the largest glacier in North America....
and the Middle Palisade Glacier
Palisade Glaciers
The Palisade Glacier is a glacier located on the northeast side of the Palisades within the John Muir Wilderness in the central Sierra Nevada of California. The Palisade Glacier is the largest glacier in North America....
, the largest glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
s in the Sierra Nevada. These glaciers feed Big Pine Creek.
Notable peaks of the group include four independent fourteener
Fourteener
In mountaineering terminology in the United States, a fourteener is a mountain that exceeds 14,000 feet above mean sea level. There are 547 fourteeners in the world. The importance of fourteeners is greatest in Colorado, which has the majority of such peaks in North America...
s:
- North PalisadeNorth PalisadeNorth Palisade is the third highest mountain in the Sierra Nevada range of California. It is the highest peak of the Palisades group of peaks in the central part of the range. It sports a small glacier and several highly prized rock climbing routes on its northeast side.- History :North Palisade...
, 14242 ft (4,341 m) - Mount SillMount SillMount Sill is one of the fourteeners of the Sierra Nevada in California. It is located in the Palisades, a group of striking rock peaks with a few small glaciers on their flanks. Mount Sill is located 0.6 miles east of North Palisade, the high point of the group. The two peaks are connected by a...
, 14153 ft (4,314 m) - Split Mountain, 14058 ft (4,285 m)
- Middle PalisadeMiddle PalisadeMiddle Palisade is a peak in the Palisades group, part of the central Sierra Nevada mountain range in the US state of California. It is the twelfth highest peak in the state....
, 14012 ft (4,271 m)
and the following mountains in addition:
- Mount AgassizMount Agassiz (California)Mount Agassiz, at , is one of the twenty highest peaks of California. It is the northernmost, and easiest to climb, major summit of the Palisades.-Geography:Agassiz is at the north end of the Palisades in the eastern Sierra Nevada, near Bishop Pass...
, 13893 ft (4,235 m), the northwesternmost peak of the group before Bishop Pass. - Birch Mountain, 13602 ft (4,146 m), which juts out further towards the Owens Valley than the rest of the group.
- Norman Clyde PeakNorman Clyde PeakNorman Clyde Peak, standing tall, is in natural company among the high peaks of the Palisades region of the Sierra Nevada in California. It lies on the Palisades' main ridge, between Middle Palisade and Palisade Crest. Norman Clyde Glacier on its north face, and Middle Palisade Glacier on its east...
, 13855 ft (4,223 m) - Palisade CrestPalisade CrestPalisade Crest is a jagged ridge in Palisades's region of the Sierra Nevada southeast of Mount Sill and northwest of Middle Palisade. Its twelve pinnacles are unofficially named for characters from The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien...
, 13323 ft (4,061 m) - Temple CragTemple CragTemple Crag is a popular rock climbing destination in the Palisades region of the Sierra Nevada. It straddles the drainages of the North and South Forks of Big Pine Creek....
, 12976 ft (3,955 m), known for its many rock climbingRock climbingRock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
routes. - Mount WinchellMount WinchellMount Winchell, a thirteener, is among the thirty highest peaks of California. It is in the Palisades region of the Sierra Nevada, on the Sierra Crest between Mount Agassiz and Thunderbolt Peak.- Geography :...
, 13775 ft (4,199 m)
North Palisade has some additional subpeaks over 14000 feet (4,267 m); see the North Palisade
North Palisade
North Palisade is the third highest mountain in the Sierra Nevada range of California. It is the highest peak of the Palisades group of peaks in the central part of the range. It sports a small glacier and several highly prized rock climbing routes on its northeast side.- History :North Palisade...
article for those summits.