Mount Lester

Mount Lester is a 12,342-foot-elevation (3,762-meter) mountain summit located in Sublette County, Wyoming, United States.^[3]

Mount Lester
North aspect, with Island Lake
Highest point
Elevation	12,342 ft (3,762 m)[1]
Prominence	1,182 ft (360 m)[1]
Parent peak	Faler Tower (12,607 ft)[2]
Isolation	2.18 mi (3.51 km)[2]
Coordinates	43°03′57″N 109°37′25″W[3]
Geography
Mount Lester Location in Wyoming Show map of Wyoming Mount Lester Mount Lester (the United States) Show map of the United States
Location	Sublette County, Wyoming, U.S.
Parent range	Rocky Mountains Wind River Range
Topo map	USGS Fremont Peak South
Geology
Rock type	granitic
Climbing
Easiest route	class 3 scrambling[2]

Description

The peak is situated in the remote Wind River Range, which is a subset of the Rocky Mountains. It is set four miles west of the Continental Divide, within the Bridger Wilderness, on land managed by Bridger-Teton National Forest. The nearest town is Pinedale, 21 miles to the southwest. Lester ranks as the 115th-highest peak in Wyoming, and topographic relief is significant as the west aspect rises 2,000 feet (610 meters) in one-half mile. The mountain's toponym, which has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names, was in use in 1914 when published in an USGS bulletin.^[3][4]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Mount Lester is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone with long, cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers.^[5] Due to its altitude, it receives precipitation all year, as snow in winter, and as thunderstorms in summer. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Green River.

Hazards

Main articles: Hazards of outdoor recreation and Mountaineering § Hazards

Encountering bears is a concern in the Wind River Range.^[6] There are other concerns as well, including bugs, wildfires, adverse snow conditions and nighttime cold temperatures.^[7]

Importantly, there have been notable incidents, including accidental deaths, due to falls from steep cliffs (a misstep could be fatal in this class 4/5 terrain) and due to falling rocks, over the years, including 1993,^[8] 2007 (involving an experienced NOLS leader),^[9] 2015^[10] and 2018.^[11] Other incidents include a seriously injured backpacker being airlifted near Squaretop Mountain^[12] in 2005,^[13] and a fatal hiker incident (from an apparent accidental fall) in 2006 that involved state search and rescue.^[14] The U.S. Forest Service does not offer updated aggregated records on the official number of fatalities in the Wind River Range.

See also

• Mountains portal

• List of mountain peaks of Wyoming
• Lester Ward (USGS geologist)