South Guard is a remote 13,232-foot summit near the northern end of the Great Western Divide in Kings Canyon National Park, notable for its steep rise above Cloud Canyon and Lake Reflection. Ranking as California’s 103rd highest summit and the third-highest point on the northern Great Western Divide, it has been known by name since at least 1896. A lower peak was first ascended in 1916, while the main summit was climbed in 1925 by Norman Clyde, with a possible earlier ascent in 1864. Its alpine climate channels runoff east to Bubbs Creek and west to the Roaring River, and its isolation still attracts experienced backcountry climbers.