Goat Mountain (California)

Goat Mountain is a mountain summit located in Kings Canyon National Park, in Fresno County of northern California, United States. It is situated on Monarch Divide which is west of the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Topographic relief is significant as the southeast aspect rises above Paradise Valley in 2.5 miles. This feature was so named because mountain sheep, erroneously called goats, were once seen on the slopes. The name was already in use when the first ascent of the summit was made in 1896 by Joseph Nisbet LeConte and party. This mountain's name has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Goat Mountain is located in an alpine climate zone. 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. Precipitation runoff from this mountain drains into tributaries of the South Fork Kings River.