Vandever Mountain is an 11,947-foot-elevation (3,641 meter) mountain summit located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, in Tulare County of northern California.[3] It is situated on the shared boundary of Sequoia National Park with Sequoia National Forest, four miles south of Mineral King, and 1.78 mile (2.86 km) west of Florence Peak, the nearest higher neighbor.[1] Vandever Mountain ranks as the 439th highest summit in California.[2] Topographic relief is significant as the south aspect rises 2,000 feet (610 meters) above White Chief Canyon in one mile. The summit can be reached via class 2 hiking from Farewell Gap or White Chief Canyon.

Vandever Mountain
NNW aspect, from White Chief Canyon
Highest point
Elevation	11,947 ft (3,641 m)[1]
Prominence	1,361 ft (415 m)[1]
Parent peak	Florence Peak (12,437 ft)[2]
Isolation	1.77 mi (2.85 km)[2]
Listing	Sierra Peaks Section
Coordinates	36°23′54″N 118°34′52″W[3]
Naming
Etymology	William Vandever
Geography
Vandever Mountain Location in California Show map of California Vandever Mountain Vandever Mountain (the United States) Show map of the United States
Location	Sequoia National Park Tulare County California, U.S.
Parent range	Sierra Nevada
Topo map	USGS Mineral King
Climbing
Easiest route	class 2[2]

History

This mountain's name was officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names to honor William Vandever (1817–1893), California congressman from 1887 to 1891 who introduced bills establishing Sequoia, Yosemite, and General Grant National Parks.[4] The name was proposed in the Visalia Delta newspaper on September 4, 1890.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Vandever Mountain 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 the mountain drains north into tributaries of Kaweah River, and south into the Little Kern River.

See also

• List of mountain peaks of California

References

External links

• Weather forecast: Vandever Mountain