Mount Lewis (California)

Mount Lewis
Mount Lewis
	East aspect
Highest point
Elevation	12,350 ft (3,764 m)
Prominence	1,200 ft (370 m)
Parent peak	Kuna Peak (13,002 ft)
Isolation	2.00 mi (3.22 km)
Listing	Vagmarken Club Sierra Crest List
Coordinates	37°50′33″N 119°11′23″W / 37.8425738°N 119.1897518°W
Dimensions
Length	3 mi (4.8 km) North-South
Width	2 mi (3.2 km) East-West
Naming
Etymology	Washington Bartlett "Dusty" Lewis
Geography
	Mount Lewis Location in California Mount Lewis Mount Lewis (the United States)
Location	Ansel Adams Wilderness; Mono County, California, U.S.
Parent range	Sierra Nevada
Topo map	USGS Koip Peak
Geology
Age of rock	Cretaceous
Mountain type	Fault block
Type of rock	Metamorphic rock, Granodiorite
Climbing
First ascent	Unknown
Easiest route	class 2 West slope

Mount Lewis is a 12,350-foot-elevation (3,764 meter) mountain summit located along the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, in Mono County of northern California, United States.^[1] It is situated in the Ansel Adams Wilderness, on land managed by Inyo National Forest. The summit lies less than one mile outside of Yosemite National Park's eastern boundary, and some of the lower western slope lies within the park. The mountain rises 1.8 miles (2.9 km) southeast of Mono Pass, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) northeast of Parker Pass, and two miles north of Parker Peak, which is the nearest higher neighbor.^[2] Topographic relief is significant as it rises over 5,200 feet (1,600 meters) above Grant Lake in four miles which makes the mountain visible from Highway 395.

Etymology[edit]

The mountain is named in memory of Washington Bartlett "Dusty" Lewis (1884–1930), Superintendent of Yosemite National Park for 11 years from 1917 through 1928.^[1]^[7] He played a leading part in the development of the park and in standardizing uniforms for National Park Service employees. This geographical feature's name was officially adopted in 1930 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.^[1] Prior to 1930 this landform was known as Johnson Peak.^[1]

Climate[edit]

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Mount Lewis is located in an alpine climate zone.^[8] 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 headwaters of Parker and Walker Creeks, both of which are tributaries of Rush Creek, which empties into Mono Lake.

Gallery[edit]

West aspect seen from Mammoth Peak
North aspect of Mt. Lewis from Mono Pass Trail
Mount Wood, Parker Peak, Koip Peak, and Mount Lewis (right)
Mt. Lewis above Lower Sardine Lake
Mt. Lewis rises above Lower Sardine Lake (summit centered in back)
W. B. Lewis circa 1926
Daniel Hull, Stephen T. Mather, and W. B. Lewis in 1924
Mt. Lewis (right) seen from Highway 158
South aspect of Mt. Lewis (right) seen from Koip Peak Pass, (Parker Pass to left).