Mount Agassiz (California)

Mount Agassiz, at 13,899 feet (4,236 m), is one of the 20 highest peaks of California. It is the northernmost and easiest to climb of the major Palisades summits.^[6] This peak is not to be confused with the 9,967-foot (3,038 m) peak by the same name in Desolation Wilderness, also in the California Sierra.

Mount Agassiz
Mount Agassiz from Bishop Pass Trail.
Highest point
Elevation	13,899 ft (4,236 m) NAVD 88[1]
Prominence	893 ft (272 m)[1]
Parent peak	North Palisade[2]
Listing	Sierra Peaks Section[3] Western States Climbers Star peak[4]
Coordinates	37°06′43″N 118°31′51″W[5]
Geography
Mount Agassiz Show map of California Mount Agassiz Show map of the United States
Location	Fresno and Inyo counties, California, U.S.
Parent range	Palisades, Sierra Nevada
Topo map	USGS North Palisade
Climbing
First ascent	August 30, 1925 by Norman Clyde[6]
Easiest route	West slope, scramble, (class 2)[6]

Geography

Agassiz is at the north end of the Palisades in the eastern Sierra Nevada, near Bishop Pass. It stands on the boundary between Kings Canyon National Park and Inyo National Forest, and Fresno and Inyo counties.^[5]

History

In 1879, Lilbourne Winchell named it Agassiz Needle for Harvard University professor of zoology and geology Louis Agassiz.^[7] Later, the USGS recognized it by its current name.

The peak is named after Swiss-American scientist Louis Agassiz.^[8][9] The name Agassiz Needle was originally applied to another nearby peak in 1879, likely Mount Winchell, but at some point the name moved to the current peak.^[9]

Climbing

There are three major routes to Agassiz's summit. The easiest is the west slope, both for its non-technical ascent and proximity to the Bishop Pass Trail. From South Lake, the trail climbs gently to Bishop Pass, and the summit route begins there. An attempt to ascend from the west via a chute can lead off route, to areas requiring more technical mountaineering skills and equipment.

Another class 2 scrambling route is the southeast face by way of the south ridge, from Agassiz Col.

A more technical route is the northeast face, which requires class 4 climbing. Norman Clyde established it by following a canyon, couloir and arête from Fifth Lake.^[6]

A view of Mount Agassiz from the west, near Bishop Pass, showing a talus slope and several chutes.

See also

• Mountain peaks of California
• Palisades of the Sierra Nevada