Kesler Peak
North aspect
Highest point
Elevation	10,403 ft (3,171 m)[1][2]
Prominence	443 ft (135 m)[3]
Parent peak	Superior Peak (11,132 ft)[4]
Isolation	1.89 mi (3.04 km)[4]
Coordinates	40°37′30″N 111°40′08″W / 40.6250745°N 111.6688679°W / 40.6250745; -111.6688679[5]
Naming
Etymology	Frederick Kesler
Geography
Kesler Peak Location in Utah Show map of Utah Kesler Peak Kesler Peak (the United States) Show map of the United States
Location	Big Cottonwood Canyon
Country	United States of America
State	Utah
County	Salt Lake
Parent range	Wasatch Range Rocky Mountains
Topo map	USGS Mount Aire
Geology
Age of rock	Carboniferous[6]
Type of rock	Sedimentary rock[2]
Climbing
Easiest route	class 1+ hiking[4]

Kesler Peak is a 10,403-foot elevation (3,171 m) mountain summit located in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States.

Description

Kesler Peak is set in the Wasatch Range which is a subset of the Rocky Mountains. It is situated in Big Cottonwood Canyon, on land managed by Wasatch National Forest. Salt Lake City is 13 miles to the northwest and Solitude Mountain Resort is four miles to the east. Neighbors include Mount Raymond three miles to the northwest and Gobblers Knob is 3.2 miles to the north. Precipitation runoff from the mountain's slopes drains to Big Cottonwood Creek. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 3,400 feet (1,000 meters) above Big Cottonwood Canyon in 1.5 mile.

History

The spelling of this mountain's toponym was officially changed in 2008 by the United States Board on Geographic Names.^[5] Prior to that it was spelled "Kessler Peak" which appears on older maps, and was also known as "Kessler's Peak" in the early 1900s. This landform is named after Frederick Kesler (1816–1899), Mormon bishop, mill architect, justice of the peace and school warden.^[5] There is another Kesler Peak (elevation 8,747 ft) located in the Oquirrh Mountains of Tooele County, Utah, which is also named after this same person.^[7]

Kesler Peak is centrally located in the Big Cottonwood Mining District. From 1867 to 1976, the Big Cottonwood and Little Cottonwood mining districts combined to produce 30,600 ounces of gold, 17.5 million ounces of silver, 4.7 million pounds of zinc, 18.1 million pounds of copper, and 252 million pounds of lead. The Carbonate Mine, situated high on the east slope of Kesler Peak, was a major producer.^[8]

Gallery