Black Mountain is a 13,291-foot Sierra Nevada summit on the Inyo-Fresno county line and the boundary of John Muir Wilderness and Kings Canyon National Park. Ranked as California’s 91st highest peak, it is distinguished by a steep western face rising about 2,750 feet above Rae Lakes in roughly a mile, with the John Muir Trail providing a main approach below that side. Its runoff drains east toward Owens Valley and west into the Kings River watershed. First recorded ascent came in 1905 by U.S. Geological Survey topographer George R. Davis. The mountain also serves as important habitat for endangered Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep, prompting climbing restrictions from July through December.