Mount Winchell

---

title: "Mount Winchell" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["mountains-of-kings-canyon-national-park", "mountains-of-the-john-muir-wilderness", "mountains-of-fresno-county,-california", "mountains-of-inyo-county,-california", "mountains-of-northern-california"] description: "Mountain in the American state of California" topic_path: "general/mountains-of-kings-canyon-national-park" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Winchell" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Mountain in the American state of California ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox mountain"]

Field	Value
name	Mount Winchell
photo	Mt_Winchell.jpg
photo_caption	Mount Winchell's East Arête route, October 2007.
elevation_ft	13781
elevation_ref
prominence_ft	655
prominence_ref
parent_peak	Mount Agassiz
map	USA California#USA
map_caption	Location in California
map_width	220
label_position	left
listing	Sierra Peaks Section
location	Fresno and Inyo counties, California, U.S.
range	Sierra Nevada
coordinates
coordinates_ref
topo	USGS North Palisade
first_ascent	June 10, 1923 by Harvey C. Mansfield, John M. Newell, and Windsor B. Putnam
easiest_route	East Arête, scramble
::

| name = Mount Winchell | photo = Mt_Winchell.jpg | photo_caption = Mount Winchell's East Arête route, October 2007. | elevation_ft = 13781 | elevation_ref = | prominence_ft = 655 | prominence_ref = | parent_peak = Mount Agassiz | map = USA California#USA | map_caption = Location in California | map_width = 220 | label_position = left | listing = Sierra Peaks Section | location = Fresno and Inyo counties, California, U.S. | range = Sierra Nevada | coordinates = | range_coordinates = | coordinates_ref = | topo = USGS North Palisade | first_ascent = June 10, 1923 by Harvey C. Mansfield, John M. Newell, and Windsor B. Putnam | easiest_route = East Arête, scramble

Mount Winchell, a thirteener, is among the thirty highest peaks of California. It is in the Palisades region of the Sierra Nevada, on the Sierra Crest between Mount Agassiz and Thunderbolt Peak.

Geography

The Inyo-Kern County line follows Winchell's northwest-southeast ridges. Hydrologically, this same boundary divides the Big Pine Creek drainage from Dusy Basin, part of the Kings River's headwaters. Its west slopes fall within Kings Canyon National Park, while its east slopes are in the John Muir Wilderness of the Inyo National Forest. | publisher = Acme Mapper | title = Mount Winchell | url = http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=37.10460,-118.52619&z=15&t=T&marker0=37.10460%2C-118.52619 | accessdate = 2016-03-24}}

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Kings_Canyon-Mt_Winchell_Aah09.jpg" caption=""Mt. Winchell" by [[Ansel Adams]], circa 1930s."] ::

Two mountain peaks in the vicinity were christened Mount Winchell during the 1870s, but neither of them were present day Mount Winchell. The United States Geological Survey applied the name to the present peak. The name's original application was made by Elisha Winchell for his cousin, Alexander Witchell, who was a founding member of the Geological Society of America.

The first recorded climb of Mount Winchell was by Harvey C. Mansfield, Sr., John M. Newell, and Windsor B. Putnam, in June 1923. Their route, a scramble up the east arête, is the least technical route. The first known winter climb by Norman Clyde, Morgan Harris, and David Brower used this same route in January 1938.

References

References

1. {{cite peakbagger
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3. {{cite sps
4. {{cite gnis
5. {{cite Farquhar
6. {{cite Secor

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::