Mount Thompson is a 13,494-foot-elevation (4,113 meter) mountain summit located on the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California, United States.[3] It is situated on the shared boundary of Kings Canyon National Park with John Muir Wilderness, and along the common border of Fresno County with Inyo County. It is also 18 miles (29 km) west of the community of Big Pine, one mile northwest of Mount Gilbert, and three miles east of Mount Fiske, which is the nearest higher neighbor. Mount Thompson ranks as the 62nd-highest summit in California.[2] This mountain's name commemorates Almon Harris Thompson (1839–1906).[4] The first ascent of the peak was made by Clarence H. Rhudy and H. F. Katzenbach in the summer of 1909.[5]

Mount Thompson
North aspect, centered
Highest point
Elevation	13,494 ft (4,113 m)[1]
Prominence	1,054 ft (321 m)[1]
Parent peak	Mount Fiske (13,503 ft)[2]
Isolation	3.02 mi (4.86 km)[2]
Listing	Sierra Peaks Section
Coordinates	37°08′34″N 118°36′49″W[3]
Naming
Etymology	Almon Harris Thompson
Geography
Mount Thompson Location in California Show map of California Mount Thompson Mount Thompson (the United States) Show map of the United States
Location	Kings Canyon National Park Fresno County / Inyo County California, U.S.
Parent range	Sierra Nevada[1]
Topo map	USGS Mount Thompson
Geology
Type of rock	granite
Climbing
First ascent	1909
Easiest route	class 2[2]

Climbing

Established climbing routes on Mount Thompson:[6]

• Northwest Face – class 3 – First Ascent June 30, 1931, by Norman Clyde
• Southwest Face – class 2 – FA August 14, 1939, by Jack Sturgeon
• Thompson Ridge – class 3 – FA 1959
• Knudtson Couloir – class AI3 – FA 1984
• Moynier Couloir – class 5.6 – FA 1986
• Smrz Couloir – class 5.6 – FA 1990
• Harrington Couloir – class AI2
• Southeast Face – class 3–4
• West Ridge – class 3

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Mount Thompson is located in an alpine climate zone.[7] 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 south into the Middle Fork Kings River, and north into Bishop Creek.

See also

• List of the major 4000-meter summits of California
• Mount Goode

Gallery

References

External links

• Weather forecast: Mount Thompson