Sawmill Point
Northeast aspect, centered
Highest point
Elevation9,429 ft (2,874 m)[1]
Prominence591 ft (180 m)[2]
Parent peakColosseum Mountain (12,473 ft)[3]
Isolation2.58 mi (4.15 km)[3]
Coordinates36°55′01″N 118°19′14″W / 36.9170122°N 118.3205805°W / 36.9170122; -118.3205805[4]
Geography
Sawmill Point is located in California
Sawmill Point
Sawmill Point
Location in California
Sawmill Point is located in the United States
Sawmill Point
Sawmill Point
Sawmill Point (the United States)
LocationJohn Muir Wilderness
CountryUnited States of America
StateCalifornia
CountyInyo County
Parent rangeSierra Nevada
Topo mapUSGS Aberdeen
Geology
Age of rockCretaceous
Mountain typeFault block
Climbing
First ascent< 1953
Easiest routeclass 3 scrambling[5]

Sawmill Point is a 9,429-foot-elevation (2,874 meter) mountain summit located in Inyo County, California. It is situated 2.6 miles east of the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, in the John Muir Wilderness, on land managed by Inyo National Forest. It is also 10.5 miles (16.9 km) northwest of the community of Independence, and 2.6 miles (4.2 km) east of proximate parent Colosseum Mountain. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 4,770 feet (1,450 meters) above Owens Valley in two miles. The Sawmill Pass Trail traverses the east and south slopes of the peak, providing an approach option, and access to the John Muir Trail.

History

The landform's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names.[4] The peak is named in association with Sawmill Creek, which in turn was named for the sawmill that James W. Smith operated along the creek in the 1870s.[6] The first recorded ascent of the summit was made by Art J. Reyman and Fred L. Jones on January 11, 1953, by ascending the northeast ridge.[5] The party was not the first on the summit however, because they found cairns, but no record.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Sawmill Point 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 them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the range. Precipitation runoff from this mountain drains into Division and Sawmill creeks, thence Owens Valley.

See also

References

  1. United States Geological Survey topographical map - Aberdeen
  2. "Sawmill Point, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  3. 1 2 "Sawmill Point - 9,429' CA". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  4. 1 2 "Sawmill Point". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
  5. 1 2 Jones, Fred L. (1954). "A Climber's Guide to the High Sierra".
  6. Francis P. Farquhar, Place Names of the High Sierra (1926)
  7. "Climate of the Sierra Nevada". Encyclopædia Britannica.
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