Nature
Mount Powell is a 13,364-foot Sierra Nevada peak on the boundary of Kings Canyon National Park and the John Muir Wilderness, west of Big Pine. Ranked among California’s highest summits, it is notable for a complex crest with several high points rather than one simple summit; in 1983 the official summit designation was shifted from Point Wesley to Point John. Robert B. Marshall named the mountain in 1911 for John Wesley Powell. The first recorded ascent came in 1925 by Walter L. Huber and James Rennie, with later class 3 routes added by other climbers. Its alpine environment sends runoff to both the Middle Fork Kings River and Bishop Creek, and its vanished glacier reflects local climate change.
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Wilkerson, California · United States