Palisade Crest is a jagged alpine ridge in the Palisades of the Sierra Nevada, between Mount Sill and Middle Palisade, forming part of the boundary between Kings Canyon National Park and the John Muir Wilderness. Along this high, rugged divide stand twelve pinnacles unofficially named for characters from J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Its highest point, Gandalf Peak, reaches 13,559 feet. The crest lies in an alpine climate zone shaped by Pacific weather systems that rise over the Sierra and drop rain or snow. It remains notable as a dramatic granite skyline within a protected mountain landscape.