Wells Peak is a granitic mountain summit with an elevation of 11,109 feet (3,386 m) located in Yosemite National Park, in Tuolumne County, California, United States. The peak is situated between Stubblefield and Thompson canyons in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 2,100 feet (640 meters) above Stubblefield Canyon in one mile. Precipitation runoff from this landform drains southwest to Hetch Hetchy via Rancheria Creek.
| Wells Peak | |
|---|---|
 East aspect, from Thompson Canyon | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 11,109 ft (3,386 m)[1] |
| Prominence | 449 ft (137 m)[2] |
| Parent peak | Ehrnbeck Peak (11,240 ft)[3] |
| Isolation | 1.25 mi (2.01 km)[3] |
| Coordinates | 38°07′21″N 119°31′43″W / 38.1225214°N 119.5286280°W[4] |
| Naming | |
| Etymology | Lt. Rush Spencer Wells |
| Geography | |
  Wells Peak Location in California  Wells Peak Wells Peak (the United States) | |
| Location | Yosemite National Park Tuolumne County, California, U.S. |
| Parent range | Sierra Nevada |
| Topo map | USGS Piute Mountain |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | Cretaceous |
| Mountain type | Fault block |
| Rock type | Granodiorite |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1945 |
| Easiest route | class 2 North ridge[1] |
History
editWells Peak was named in the 1890s by R. B. Marshall of the USGS to honor Rush Spencer Wells (1874–1951), US Army officer.[5][6] The US Army had jurisdiction over Yosemite National Park from 1891 to 1914, and each summer 150 cavalrymen traveled from the Presidio of San Francisco to patrol the park. This landform's toponym was officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names in 1932.[4]
The first ascent of the summit was made July 27, 1945, by Arthur J. Reyman.[1]
Climate
editAccording to the Köppen climate classification system, Wells Peak 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 (orographic lift), causing moisture in the form of rain or snowfall to drop onto the range.
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b c R.J. Secor (2009), The High Sierra: Peaks, Passes, Trails, Mountaineers Books, ISBN 9781863857386, p. 476
- ^ "Wells Peak, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
- ^ a b "Wells Peak - 11,109' CA". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
- ^ a b "Wells Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
- ^ Peter Browning, Place Names of the Sierra Nevada: From Abbot to Zumwalt, Wilderness Press, 1986, ISBN 9780899970479, page 234.
- ^ Erwin Gustav Gudde, William Bright, California Place Names: The Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names, 1998, University of California Press, ISBN 9780520213166, page 419.
- ^ "Climate of the Sierra Nevada". Encyclopædia Britannica.
External links
edit- Weather forecast: Wells Peak
- Rush Spencer Wells (photo)