Night Cap Peak
South aspect, from Sharon Lake
Highest point
Elevation	10,641 ft (3,243 m)[1][2]
Prominence	481 ft (147 m)[3]
Parent peak	Peak 11220[4]
Isolation	1.15 mi (1.85 km)[4]
Coordinates	38°18′29″N 119°41′28″W / 38.308°N 119.691°W / 38.308; -119.691[5]
Naming
Etymology	Nightcap
Geography
Night Cap Peak Location in California Show map of California Night Cap Peak Night Cap Peak (the United States) Show map of the United States
Location	Emigrant Wilderness
Country	United States of America
State	California
County	Tuolumne
Parent range	Sierra Nevada
Topo map	USGS Sonora Pass

Night Cap Peak is a 10,641-foot-elevation (3,243 meter) mountain summit located in Tuolumne County, California, United States.^[1]

Description

Night Cap Peak is set along the boundary of the Emigrant Wilderness on land managed by Stanislaus National Forest. The peak is part of the Sierra Nevada mountain range and is situated 2.6 miles northwest of Leavitt Peak, and three miles west-southwest of Sonora Pass. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises over 4,400 feet (1,300 meters) above Kennedy Meadow in three miles. Precipitation runoff from this mountain drains into Kennedy and Deadman creeks which are tributaries of the Middle Fork Stanislaus River.

Etymology

The peak was named "Night Cap" in the 1890s by the USGS, presumably because of its resemblance to a nightcap.^[6] The landform's present toponym was officially adopted in 1979 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.^[1]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Night Cap Peak 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 (orographic lift), causing moisture in the form of rain or snowfall to drop onto the range.

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