Mount Spencer is a 12,431 feet (3,789 m) peak in the Sierra Nevada, in Kings Canyon National Park and Fresno County, California.

Mount Spencer
Mount Spencer (center left) from Evolution Lake
Highest point
Elevation	12,431 ft (3,789 m) NGVD 29[1]
Prominence	221 ft (67 m)[1]
Coordinates	37°09′19″N 118°40′54″W[2]
Geography
Mount Spencer Show map of California Mount Spencer Show map of the United States
Location	Kings Canyon National Park Fresno County, California, U.S.
Parent range	Sierra Nevada, Evolution Region
Climbing
First ascent	August 20, 1921 by Robert M. Prince, George J. young, H.W. Hill, and Peter Frandsen[3]
Easiest route	Scramble from the southeast saddle, class 2[3]

It is named for Herbert Spencer, an English philosopher and prominent scientist in the field of evolution who coined the term "survival of the fittest." Other nearby mountains in the Evolution Group include Mount Darwin, Mount Mendel, Mount Fiske, Mount Haeckel, Mount Huxley, Mount Wallace, and Mount Lamarck. The area around the peaks, known as the Evolution Region, includes Evolution Basin and Evolution Valley.

Although it is not a very well known peak, it offers a picturesque view from Evolution Lake and the John Muir Trail.[4]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Mount Spencer is located in an alpine climate zone.[5] 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, causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the range (orographic lift). Precipitation runoff from this mountain drains to Evolution Creek which is a San Joaquin River tributary.

References

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