Phipps Peak

This article is about a mountain in California. For the mountain in New Zealand, see Phipps Peak (New Zealand).

Phipps Peak is a mountain in the Sierra Nevada to the west of Emerald Bay and Lake Tahoe; and to the east of Rockbound Valley and the Crystal Range. The peak is in El Dorado County, California and the Desolation Wilderness.

Phipps Peak
Highest point
Elevation	9,238 ft (2,816 m) NAVD 88[1]
Prominence	434 ft (132 m)[1]
Listing	Tahoe OGUL mountaineer peak[2]
Coordinates	38°57′16″N 120°08′59″W[3]
Geography
Phipps Peak Location in California
Location	El Dorado County, California, U.S.
Parent range	Sierra Nevada
Topo map	USGS Rockbound Valley
Climbing
Easiest route	Easy scramble, class 2[4]

Phipps Peak is named after William Phipps, a California pioneer originally from Kentucky that fought in the American Army during the American Indian Wars.^[5] He claimed to be a "General" in the Army, though that was a self-proclaimed title. In 1854, he settled in the small settlement of Georgetown, California (named after George Phipps who is unrelated) about 100 miles west of Tahoe, and six years later relocated to McKinney Bay at Lake Tahoe where he settled on a 160-acre homestead near General Creek.^[6] Nearby Phipps Pass and General Creek are also named after Phipps.