Kern Point
East aspect, left of center
Highest point
Elevation	12,763 ft (3,890 m)[1]
Prominence	427 ft (130 m)[2]
Parent peak	Kern Ridge, West (13,185 ft)[3]
Isolation	1.99 mi (3.20 km)[3]
Listing	Sierra Peaks Section
Coordinates	36°35′48″N 118°26′42″W / 36.5966848°N 118.4448914°W / 36.5966848; -118.4448914[1]
Naming
Etymology	Edward Kern
Geography
Kern Point Location in California Show map of California Kern Point Kern Point (the United States) Show map of the United States
Location	Sequoia National Park Tulare County, California, U.S.
Parent range	Sierra Nevada
Topo map	USGS Mount Kaweah
Geology
Age of rock	Cretaceous
Mountain type	Fault block
Type of rock	Granodiorite
Climbing
First ascent	1924
Easiest route	class 2[3]

Kern Point is a 12,763-foot-elevation (3,890 meter) mountain summit located west of the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Tulare County, California.^[1] It is situated in Sequoia National Park, two miles northeast of Picket Guard Peak, and seven miles east of Mount Whitney. Kern Point ranks as the 220th-highest summit in California,^[3] and topographic relief is significant as the summit rises over 4,700 feet (1,400 meters) above Kern River in two miles. Kern Point is the southernmost peak on Kern Ridge, and precipitation runoff from this mountain drains to the Kern River. The river was named by John C. Frémont for Edward Kern, the artist and topographer of Frémont's third expedition in 1845.^[4] The Kern Point toponym was officially adopted in 1928 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.^[1]

Climbing

The first ascent of the summit was made July 25, 1924, by William Horsfall and C. Laughlin.^[5] Inclusion on the Sierra Peaks Section peakbagging list generates climbing interest in this remote peak.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Kern Point is located in an alpine climate zone.^[6] 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.