Kettle Peak

Kettle Peak is a mountain with a summit elevation of located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, in Mono County of northern California, United States. The summit is set in the Hoover Wilderness on land managed by Humboldt–Toiyabe National Forest, and is less than one-half mile outside the boundary of Yosemite National Park. The peak is situated approximately three miles southwest of Twin [Lakes (Bridgeport, California)|Twin Lakes], three miles south of Victoria Peak, 2.9 miles northeast of Crown Point, and 3.1 miles northwest of Matterhorn Peak. Topographic relief is significant as the west aspect rises over above Robinson Creek in one mile.

History

Kettle Peak is the toponym officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names for this 11,000-foot summit, which should not be confused with another Kettle Peak located in California's Sequoia National Park. This toponym was likely applied by the United States Geological Survey during a 1905–09 survey and it appears on the first edition of the 1911 Bridgeport Quadrangle map.
The first ascent of the summit was made in August 1948 by William Dunmire and Robert L. Swift.

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Kettle Peak 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 moisture in the form of rain or snowfall to drop onto the range. Precipitation runoff from this mountain drains into tributaries of Robinson Creek which is a tributary of the Walker River.