Pilot Knob (Fresno County, California)
Pilot Knob is a 12,245-foot-elevation (3,732 meter) mountain summit located in Fresno County in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in northern California, United States.[5] It is situated at the intersection of Piute Canyon and French Canyon, in the John Muir Wilderness, on land managed by Sierra National Forest. It is set 2.5 miles (4.0 km) south of Merriam Peak and three miles north of the Matthes Glaciers. Pilot Knob is the 360th-highest peak in California,[4] and topographic relief is significant as the west aspect rises 2,800 feet (850 meters) above Hutchinson Meadow in approximately one mile. This mountain was likely named by the USGS during the 1907–09 survey for the Mt. Goddard Quadrangle,[2] and the toponym has been officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.[5]
| Pilot Knob | |
|---|---|
 Southeast aspect, from Packsaddle Lake | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 12,245 ft (3,732 m)[1][2] |
| Prominence | 645 ft (197 m)[3] |
| Parent peak | Mount Morrow (12,402 ft)[4] |
| Isolation | 2.50 mi (4.02 km)[4] |
| Listing | Sierra Peaks Section |
| Coordinates | 37°16′24″N 118°45′26″W[5] |
| Geography | |
  Pilot Knob Location in California  Pilot Knob Pilot Knob (the United States) | |
| Location | Fresno County, California, U.S. |
| Parent range | Sierra Nevada[3] |
| Topo map | USGS Mount Hilgard |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | Cretaceous |
| Mountain type | Fault block |
| Type of rock | Granodiorite |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | Unknown[6] |
| Easiest route | class 2[4] East slope |
Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Pilot Knob 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 Piute Creek which is a tributary of the South Fork San Joaquin River.
Gallery
West aspect of Pilot Knob, with Piute Creek.
Southeast aspect of Pilot Knob.
The top of Merriam Peak in upper right corner.
Northeast aspect
References
- USGS Topographic Map - Mount Hilgard
- Peter Browning (1986), Place Names of the Sierra Nevada: From Abbot to Zumwalt, Wilderness Press, ISBN 9780899970479, p. 170
- "Pilot Knob, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
- "Pilot Knob - 12,245' CA". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
- "Pilot Knob". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
- George Bloom, Hervey Voge, and Ray Van Aken, A Climber’s Guide to the High Sierra (1954)
- "Climate of the Sierra Nevada". Encyclopædia Britannica.