Sierra Peaks Section


The Sierra Peaks Section is a mountaineering society within the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club that serves to provide mountaineering activities for Sierra Club members in the Sierra Nevada, and to honor mountaineers who have summited Sierra Nevada peaks.

History

The Sierra Peaks Section was established in 1955. The Section maintains historic summit registers at Bancroft Library on the University of California, Berkeley campus.

Membership

To become a member of the SPS, one must be a Sierra Club member and have climbed at least six peaks on the SPS List; it is not necessary that the peaks be Emblem peaks. For verification purposes, two of those ascents must be done on an official SPS trip.
Especially accomplished members are award with emblems, with the following grades :
Upon receiving one of the normal emblems, members may be recognized with one of the following additional emblems, which are not ranked:
To the general public, they are most known for their peak bagging list, created in 1955, a product of the Sierra Club's long legacy of promoting climbing in the Sierra Nevada. Completing the list is highly prestigious in American mountaineering circles, and climbers who complete the list are often cited as having done so.
The list is divided into three levels of importance. The Emblem peaks are considered the most iconic peaks of the Sierra Nevada, and to summit all of them is the goal of many peak baggers and alpinists. Mountaineers peaks are less notable peaks known for presenting mountaineering challenges; they do not have the prestige that Emblem peaks have attached to them, but ascending them is necessary to gain higher levels of recognition for Section members. Finally, there are the numerous general peaks of lesser note.
Some peaks require substantial rock climbing experience, and in some cases snow travel skills. Most peaks may require few technical skills, although the commonly cited difficulty ratings of peak climbs in the Sierra Nevada are considered to be understated, or “sandbagged”. The majority of peaks are very remote and require substantial cross-country travel.
The list is an example of a subjective "decision by committee" list with the peaks on the list being determined by the Sierra Club. Peaks are occasionally added or removed from the list due to a variety of factors, such as accessibility, notability, and interest. The list is followed by thousands of hikers and climbers and has been noted in numerous books and guides on the Sierra Nevada.
There are 15 Emblem peaks, 35 Mountaineers peaks, and 197 general peaks, for a total of 247 peaks. The number of peaks is traditionally set at 248, the original number of peaks listed in 1955; however the number changes at times due to issues such as legal access or higher interest in one peak over another.
The elevations listed below are those officially described on the list, and may not be the actual elevations of those peaks, although they are usually accurate to within 50 feet.

Emblem Peaks

PeakElevation
Olancha Peak
Mount Whitney
Mount Williamson
Mount Kaweah
Mount Brewer
Mount Clarence King
Split Mountain
Mount Goddard
North Palisade
Mount Darwin
Mount Humphreys
Mount Abbot
Mount Ritter
Mount Lyell
Matterhorn Peak

Mountaineers Peaks

PeakElevation
Mount LeConte
Mount McAdie
Mount Russell
Black Kaweah
Triple Divide Peak
Milestone Mountain
Table Mountain
Thunder Mountain
Mount Ericsson
Deerhorn Mountain
East Vidette
Junction Peak
University Peak
Mount Gardiner
Arrow Peak
Mount Ruskin
Tehipite Dome
Middle Palisade
Norman Clyde Peak
Devil’s Crag #1
Mount McDuffie
Mount Sill
Thunderbolt Peak
The Hermit
Seven Gables
Bear Creek Spire
Red Slate Mountain
Mount Morrison
Clyde Minaret
Mount Clark
Mount Starr King
Cathedral Peak
Whorl Mountain
Tower Peak

Full list

Area 1: Southern Sierra

  1. Pilot Knob
  2. Owens Peak
  3. Spanish Needle
  4. Lamont Peak
  5. Sawtooth Peak
  6. Rockhouse Peak
  7. Taylor Dome
  8. Sirretta Peak
  9. Crag Peak
  10. Smith Mountain

    Area 2: Mineral King and Kern River

  11. Kern Peak
  12. Angora Mountain
  13. Coyote Peaks
  14. North Maggie Mountain
  15. Moses Mountain
  16. Homers Nose
  17. Vandever Mountain
  18. Florence Peak
  19. Sawtooth Peak
  20. Needham Mountain

    Area 3: Olancha to Langley and west

  21. Olancha Peak
  22. Cartago Peak
  23. Muah Mountain
  24. Cirque Peak
  25. Mount Langley
  26. Mount Guyot
  27. Joe Devel Peak
  28. Mount Pickering
  29. Mount Chamberlin
  30. Mount Newcomb
  31. Mount Hitchcock

    Area 4: Corcoran to Whitney

  32. Mount Corcoran
  33. Mount LeConte
  34. Mount Mallory
  35. Mount Irvine
  36. Mount McAdie
  37. Mount Muir
  38. Mount Whitney
  39. Thor Peak
  40. Lone Pine Peak

    Area 5: Whitney to Williamson

  41. Mount Young
  42. Mount Hale
  43. Mount Russell
  44. Mount Carillon
  45. Tunnabora Peak
  46. Mount Barnard
  47. Trojan Peak
  48. Mount Tyndall
  49. Mount Williamson

    Area 6: Kaweahs and west

  50. Alta Peak
  51. Mount Silliman
  52. Mount Eisen
  53. Lippincott Mountain
  54. Eagle Scout Peak
  55. Mount Stewart
  56. Lion Rock
  57. Mount Kaweah
  58. Red Kaweah
  59. Black Kaweah
  60. Picket Guard Peak
  61. Kern Point

    Area 7: Great Western Divide

  62. Triple Divide Peak
  63. Glacier Ridge
  64. Whaleback
  65. Milestone Mountain
  66. Midway Mountain
  67. Table Mountain
  68. Thunder Mountain
  69. South Guard
  70. Mount Brewer
  71. North Guard

    Area 8: Kings–Kern divide

  72. Mount Jordan
  73. Mount Genevra
  74. Mount Ericsson
  75. Mount Stanford
  76. Deerhorn Mountain
  77. East Vidette
  78. West Vidette
  79. Junction Peak
  80. Mount Keith
  81. Mount Bradley
  82. Center Peak
  83. Caltech Peak

    Area 9: Kearsarge Pass vicinity

  84. University Peak
  85. Independence Peak
  86. Kearsarge Peak
  87. Mount Gould
  88. Mount Rixford
  89. Mount Bago
  90. Mount Gardiner
  91. Mount Cotter
  92. Mount Clarence King
  93. Dragon Peak
  94. Black Mountain
  95. Diamond Peak

    Area 10: Baxter Pass to Taboose Pass

  96. Mount Baxter
  97. Colosseum Mountain
  98. Mount Perkins
  99. Mount Wynne
  100. Mount Pinchot
  101. Pyramid Peak
  102. Arrow Peak
  103. Striped Mountain
  104. Goodale Mountain
  105. Cardinal Mountain

    Area 11: Western mid-Sierra

  106. Mount Ruskin
  107. Marion Peak
  108. State Peak
  109. Goat Mountain
  110. Kennedy Mountain
  111. Mount Harrington
  112. Tehipite Dome
  113. Spanish Mountain
  114. Three Sisters

    Area 12: South Palisades

  115. Split Mountain
  116. Mount Tinemaha
  117. Mount Prater
  118. Mount Bolton Brown
  119. Birch Mountain
  120. The Thumb
  121. Disappointment Peak
  122. Middle Palisade
  123. Norman Clyde Peak
  124. Palisade Crest

    Area 13: Mt. Goddard vicinity

  125. Observation Peak
  126. Giraud Peak
  127. Devil's Crag #1
  128. Wheel Mountain
  129. Mount McDuffie
  130. Black Giant
  131. Charybdis
  132. Scylla
  133. Mount Goddard
  134. Mount Reinstein
  135. Finger Peak
  136. Tunemah Peak

    Area 14: North Palisades

  137. Temple Crag
  138. Mount Gayley
  139. Mount Sill
  140. North Palisade
  141. Thunderbolt Peak
  142. Mount Winchell
  143. Mount Agassiz
  144. Mount Goode
  145. Cloudripper
  146. Mount Johnson
  147. Mount Gilbert

    Area 15: Evolution area

  148. Mount Thompson
  149. Point Powell
  150. Mount Wallace
  151. Mount Haeckel
  152. Mount Fiske
  153. Mount Huxley
  154. Mount Darwin
  155. Mount Mendel
  156. Mount Lamarck
  157. The Hermit
  158. Mount McGee
  159. Emerald Peak
  160. Mount Henry

    Area 16: Humphreys Basin and west

  161. Mount Goethe
  162. Mount Emerson
  163. Mount Humphreys
  164. Basin Mountain
  165. Four Gables
  166. Mount Tom
  167. Pilot Knob
  168. Gemini
  169. Seven Gables
  170. Mount Senger
  171. Mount Hooper

    Area 17: Bear Creek Spire area

  172. Merriam Peak
  173. Royce Peak
  174. Mount Julius Caesar
  175. Mount Hilgard
  176. Recess Peak
  177. Mount Gabb
  178. Bear Creek Spire
  179. Mount Dade
  180. Mount Abbot
  181. Mount Mills
  182. Mount Morgan

    Area 18: Mono Creek to Mammoth

  183. Silver Peak
  184. Mount Izaak Walton
  185. Red and White Mountain
  186. Red Slate Mountain
  187. Mount Stanford
  188. Mount Morgan
  189. Mount Baldwin
  190. Mount Morrison
  191. Bloody Mountain

    Area 19: Ritter Range and vicinity

  192. Iron Mountain
  193. Clyde Minaret
  194. Mount Ritter
  195. Banner Peak
  196. Mount Davis
  197. Rodgers Peak
  198. Electra Peak
  199. Foerster Peak
  200. San Joaquin Mountain

    Area 20: Clark Range and vicinity

  201. Merced Peak
  202. Red Peak
  203. Gray Peak
  204. Mount Clark
  205. Mount Starr King
  206. Half Dome
  207. Clouds Rest

    Area 21: Mt. Lyell and north

  208. Cathedral Peak
  209. Vogelsang Peak
  210. Mount Florence
  211. Mount Maclure
  212. Mount Lyell
  213. Koip Peak
  214. Mount Gibbs
  215. Mount Dana

    Area 22: Tioga Pass to Bond Pass

  216. Mount Warren
  217. Mount Conness
  218. North Peak
  219. Excelsior Mountain
  220. Dunderberg Peak
  221. Virginia Peak
  222. Twin Peaks
  223. Whorl Mountain
  224. Matterhorn Peak
  225. Pettit Peak
  226. Volunteer Peak
  227. Piute Mountain
  228. Tower Peak

    Area 23: Bond Pass to Lake Tahoe

  229. Black Hawk Mountain
  230. Leavitt Peak
  231. Stanislaus Peak
  232. Disaster Peak
  233. Highland Peak
  234. Mokelumne Peak
  235. Round Top
  236. Freel Peak
  237. Pyramid Peak
  238. Dicks Peak
  239. Mount Tallac

    Area 24: Northern Sierra

  240. Granite Chief
  241. Tinker Knob
  242. Castle Peak
  243. Mount Rose
  244. Mount Lola
  245. English Mountain
  246. Sierra Buttes
  247. Mount Elwell
  248. Adams Peak