Mount Wynne
West aspect from Pinchot Pass
Highest point
Elevation	13,179 ft (4,017 m)[1]
Prominence	318 ft (97 m)[1]
Parent peak	Mount Pinchot[2]
Isolation	0.66 mi (1.06 km)[2]
Listing	Sierra Peaks Section
Coordinates	36°56′17″N 118°24′11″W / 36.9380113°N 118.4029183°W / 36.9380113; -118.4029183[3]
Naming
Etymology	Sedman W. Wynne
Geography
Mount Wynne Location in California Show map of California Mount Wynne Mount Wynne (the United States) Show map of the United States
Location	Kings Canyon National Park Fresno County California, U.S.
Parent range	Sierra Nevada[1]
Topo map	USGS Mount Pinchot
Geology
Type of rock	metamorphic
Climbing
First ascent	1935
Easiest route	class 2[1]

Mount Wynne is a 13,179-foot-elevation (4,017-meter) mountain summit located one mile west of the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, in Fresno County of northern California, United States.^[3] It is situated in eastern Kings Canyon National Park, 31 miles (50 km) northwest of the town of Lone Pine, 0.4 miles immediately east of Pinchot Pass, and 0.66 miles (1.06 km) south of Mount Pinchot, which is the nearest higher neighbor. Mt. Wynne ranks as the 116th highest summit in California.^[2] Topographic relief is significant as the south aspect rises nearly 2,000 feet (610 meters) above the surrounding terrain in approximately one mile. The approach to this remote peak is made via the John Muir Trail. The first ascent of the summit was made in 1935 by a Sierra Club party.^[4]

Etymology

The peak's name honors Sedman Walter Wynne (1883–1922), US Forest Service supervisor of the Sequoia National Forest, who died through his official work.^[3] He was born in Butte, Montana, attended University of California, and Yale. He died of sudden heart failure at age 39 while on a field trip for the Forest Service attending a football game between University of California and University of Southern California.^[5] The mountain's toponym was officially adopted in 1932 by the United States Board on Geographic Names.^[3]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Mount Wynne 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, causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the range (orographic lift). Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the South Fork Kings River.

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