Mount Gilbert
North aspect, upper right (Mt. Johnson on left, South Lake below)
Highest point
Elevation	13,106 ft (3,995 m)[1]
Prominence	426 ft (130 m)[1]
Parent peak	Mount Thompson (13,494 ft)[2]
Isolation	0.94 mi (1.51 km)[2]
Listing	Sierra Peaks Section
Coordinates	37°08′11″N 118°35′54″W / 37.1363688°N 118.5982233°W / 37.1363688; -118.5982233[3]
Naming
Etymology	Grove Karl Gilbert
Geography
Mount Gilbert Show map of California Mount Gilbert Show map of the United States
Location	Kings Canyon National Park John Muir Wilderness  Fresno / Inyo counties, California, U.S.
Country	United States of America
State	California
Parent range	Sierra Nevada[1]
Topo map	USGS Mount Thompson
Geology
Age of rock	Cretaceous
Mountain type	Fault block
Type of rock	granitic
Climbing
First ascent	1928 Norman Clyde
Easiest route	Scramble class 2[2]

Mount Gilbert is a 13,106-foot (3,995 m) mountain located on the crest of the Sierra Nevada range in California, United States.^[3] It is situated on the shared boundary of Kings Canyon National Park and John Muir Wilderness, and along the common border of Fresno County and Inyo County. It is 18 miles (29 km) west of the community of Big Pine, 0.8 mile (1.3 km) northwest of Mount Johnson, and one mile (1.6 km) southeast of Mount Thompson, which is its nearest higher neighbor. Mount Gilbert ranks as the 127th-highest summit in California.^[2] Topographic relief is significant as the south aspect rises 3,900 feet (1,189 m) above LeConte Canyon in less than two miles, and the northern aspect rises 3,340 feet above South Lake in 2.5 miles.

History

This mountain's name commemorates eminent geologist Grove Karl Gilbert (1843–1918), who worked much of the Sierra Nevada range with the Wheeler Survey.^[4] The mountain's name was officially adopted in 1911 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.^[3] The first ascent of the peak was made September 15, 1928, by Norman Clyde, who is credited with 130 first ascents, most of which were in the Sierra Nevada.^[5]

Climbing

Established climbing routes:^[6]

• Southwest slope – class 2 – September 15, 1928, by Norman Clyde
• Northeast slope – class 3 – May 19, 2002, by party of seven
• Engram Couloir – class 5.6 – September 3, 1972 by Al Fowler, Dan Eaton, Ron Cale
• West face – class 5.7 – 1985 by Claude Fiddler, Vern Clevenger

Climate

Mount Gilbert is located in an alpine climate zone.^[7] 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, causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the range (orographic lift). Precipitation runoff from this mountain drains south into the Middle Fork Kings River, and north into Bishop Creek.