Sierra Lakes & Peaks

Interesting Facts & Highlights

Named by Ak Gardisky in 1932 'because of its elevation'. Today this lake lies outside Yosemite boundaries, however, it was within the park from 1890 to 1905. Fishing: Goldens and Eastern Brookies

Interesting Facts & Highlights

Short on history. First mention by USGS was during the 1891-96 Dardanelle's map survey (first edition)

Interesting Facts & Highlights

The high peak of Nevada, and just a few feet of being in California if not by the luck of an arbitrary boundary line between states. We used the Queens Mine trailhead and camped at a turn out before the last climb along the mine road. It is a sheltered spot but there are a few other scattered sites available up the road. The saddle at the trailhead has some good views but may be on the windy side. Make sure you spot the correct mine road, or it will be a rough ride up the wrong canyon (as we did).

Interesting Facts & Highlights

US Senator John Conness is recognized throughout Yosemite for backing and sponsoring the Geological Survey of California that funded the Whitney Survey and the mapping of these spectacular lands. The lakes first appeared named in 1956 on the Tuolumne Meadows 15' map. Fishing: Goldens

Interesting Facts & Highlights

The origin namers of Dardanelle's is not know. First published name is on George H. Goddard's 1853 'Map of Sonora Pass'. These formations resemble The Dardanelles in Turkey, also known as the Strait of Gallipoli from the Gallipoli peninsula or from Classical Antiquity as the Hellespont, is a narrow, natural strait and internationally significant waterway between the Aegean Sea and the Sea of Marmara separating Asian and European Turkey.

Interesting Facts & Highlights

The origin namers of Dardanelle's is not know. First published name is on George H. Goddard's 1853 'Map of Sonora Pass'. These formations resemble The Dardanelles in Turkey, also known as the Strait of Gallipoli from the Gallipoli peninsula or from Classical Antiquity as the Hellespont, is a narrow, natural strait and internationally significant waterway between the Aegean Sea and the Sea of Marmara separating Asian and European Turkey.

Interesting Facts & Highlights (Lake on the far left)

Another 1932 naming by Al Gardisky for a forest service supervisor William Maule that was misspelled as Maul. USGS chose to keep the name as orginally spelled by Gardisky and Spuller. Fishing: Eastern Brookies and Kamloop Rainbow trout

Interesting Facts & Highlights

An easy accessible peak either from the St Mary's Pass trailhead or the Sonora Pass parking lot. The St Mary's Pass trip takes you via a lupine covered rock field and great views downline of Carson-Iceberg Wilderness and Stanislaus Peak. The scenery is rather stark but has a beauty of it's own. Once up at the peak the views are 360º and you can peer into the Northern border of Yosemite. Sonora is a Quintuple Divide Peak as the summit feeds the headwaters of five drainages: East Fork Carson River, Clark Fork Stanislaus River, Deadman Creek, Sardine Creek and Wolf Creek!!!

Interesting Facts & Highlights

Right under the nose of Al Gardisky, Everett Spuller named it for himself after being the first to plant brookies. He seemed to boast about Al Gardisky not being aware of the lake and that he snuck in! Fishing: Eastern Brookies only

Interesting Facts & Highlights

A good day hike/climb combines Sonora and Stanislaus Peaks. At St Mary's Pass, run up to Sonora and from that perch plan your cross-country route to meet up with the trail that leads to the base of your second climb. There are some dramatic granatic outcrops on the southeast ridge that provides the quickest way up a class 3 route. The scenery is quite barren in this area, but as you hike back there are several spring/snow fed creeks that light up with yellow bursts and a welcome sip of cold water!!!

Interesting Facts & Highlights

Tioga is Iroquois meaning 'where it forks','at the forks', 'swift current', or 'a gate'. How this east coast native name got to California would be best explained as the Tioga Mining District founded in 1878 were former Pennsylvania and/or New York promoters. Tioga Lake started out as Lake Jessie named after Jessie Montrose of Lundy. Lt McClure's map of 1895 was first to record it as Tioga.

Interesting Facts & Highlights

The larger lake to the right is Treble and the smaller next to it is Green, as named by Everett Spuller in 1932. Green referred to a longtime forest ranger at the Lee Vining station. USGS maps show the larger as Green Treble Lake, so now you know that is not so! Fishing: Eastern Brookies and Kamloop Rainbow trout

Interesting Facts & Highlights

Mt. Ritter (middle left in the picture above) was named by the Whitney Survey in 1864 for a German geographer who was the founder of the science of modern comparative geography. Whitney had met Karl Ritter at the University of Berlin in the 1840's. John Muir made the first ascent in October of 1872.

Banner Peak (middle right above) was named by Willard D. Johnson, USGS topographer in 1883 when he observed cloud-banners streaming from the summit.

Interesting Facts & Highlights

There does not appear to be any history into the naming of this peak, even though it is obvious from its physical characteristics. The 1901 Mt. Lyell 30' map is the first known naming.

Interesting Facts & Highlights

No documented thread to the naming of this lake, however, given the use of precious gems for other bodies of water in the area, we can surmise that is the baseline. If you have any definitive facts on this and Ruby Lake up the trail, please drop me a note.

Interesting Facts & Highlights

Name origin is unknown. First mention on Solomons' map of 1896 was as Badger Lake, with Garnet Lake assigned to what is now Shadow Lake along the pack trail that is used to get to Garnet. A fantastic spot to camp and explore. Watch out for Smokey in these parts, as it is heavily traveled and they are smart!

Interesting Facts & Highlights

Probably named from the Mono Indian word Koipa, meaning 'mountain sheep' in the Northern Paiute dialect indicating the presence of Bighorn sheep that died out years ago. In 1987 there was a reintroduction in the Lee Vining Creek area with sightings of five having moved to Parker Creek and Parker Lake, a former range of this magnificent animal. Willard Johnson of the USGS named this peak and ridge in 1883, and has been shown as Ko-ip in prior map versions. The pass and peak are both now in the Ansel Adams Wilderness and Inyo National Forest, however they were within park borders between 1890 to 1905.

Interesting Facts & Highlights

First climbed August 31, 1891 by Lt. Milton Fennimore Davis when he was assigned to protect the newly established Yosemite Park. His account tells a tale of sleeping without blankets, camping at timberline and making a fire, as well as having a Methodist preacher accompnay him, Dr. E. W. Beers. 'The trip nearly killed him' as he gave out and did not cross the last gorge. In 1894, Lt. McClure named the peak.

Interesting Facts & Highlights

Another peak named for an early Yosemite superintendent (acting)/troop commander, Capt. Abram Epperson Wood. Lt. McClure bestowed the honor as Wood commanded the first troops assigned to Yosemite, that being companies I & K of the Fourth Cavalry. They arrived on May 19, 1891 and set up camp at Wawona.

Interesting Facts & Highlights

No documented trail of the naming of this lake. However, given the use of precious gems for other bodies of water in the area, we can surmise that is the thread. If you have any definitive facts on this and Emerald Lake down the trail, please drop me a note.

Interesting Facts & Highlights

Started as 'Islet Lake as called by John Muir in 1873. Most likely named by Theodore Solomons on his 1896 map. He was quoted, "Next morning we passed down the slope of the mountains to the lake, with its hundred islets..."

Interesting Facts & Highlights

This is an artificial lake that was created in 1918 and named for the Engineer who was charged with constructing the dam, E.J. Waugh. Southern California Edison lays claim to these waters and unknown to George and I, decided to drain the lake this year to repair the dam. An unfortunate collision as we were looking forward to a cool dip in the lake to meet our friend Bill. Like Koip Crest, this was within the Yosemite borders between 1890 and 1905, after which it was turned over to the Inyo National Forest, then incorporated into the Minaretrs Wilderness and finally, after the Wilderness Act of 1984, expanded and renamed for Ansel Adams.

Interesting Facts & Highlights

As found in HISTORIC AMERICAN ENGINEERING RECORD (HAER CA-167-M)

Constructed in 1926-1927, the Bear Creek Diversion Dam is part of the Mono-Bear Diversion, an integral element of Southern California Edison’s Big Creek hydroelectric system. The Big Creek system was the premiere example of integrated water storage and hydroelectric generation in the American West during the period 1911-1929. Big Creek set records in hydroelectric generation, dam construction, and tunnel excavation in rugged terrain with harsh climactic conditions. It also pioneered high-voltage transmission, allowing power to be generated in remote locations for distant markets. The Big Creek system is also significant in the history of the Los Angeles region. Conceived as a means of powering both residential development and electric railways, power from Southern California Edison’s Big Creek plants was instrumental in the rise of suburban development in the region. The system is closely associated with railroad, energy, and development magnate Henry Huntington; with Edison executives and power pioneers A.C. Balch, William Kerckhoff, and George C. Ward; visionary California hydroelectric engineer John Eastwood; and Big Creek Resident Engineer David Redinger

Sourced :: https://memory.loc.gov/master/pnp/habshaer/ca/ca3900/ca3969/data/ca3969data.pdf

Interesting Facts & Highlights

There are more than 28 lakes in the headwaters of the East Fork of Bear Creek. Thirteen have a name associated to the bulky carnivore as the creeks namesake. All were named by the DFG survey party of 1952 in order to identify lakes by name instead of number. Good idea! No bears were harmed in the naming of these lakes.

Fishing: Goldens

Interesting Facts & Highlights

Said to contain Golden's, George caught what looked like a cross between a Golden & Rainbow. A rocky place to camp, but rugged and quiet.

There are more than 28 lakes in the headwaters of the East Fork of Bear Creek. Thirteen have a name associated to the bulky carnivore as the creeks namesake. All were named by the DFG survey party of 1952 in order to identify lakes by name instead of number. Good idea! No bears were harmed in the naming of these lakes.

Interesting Facts & Highlights

Theodore S. Solomons and Leigh Bierce named the peak on September 20, 1984. "The south wall of the gap we found to be the side of a peak, the eccentric shape of which is suggested in the name of Seven Gables, which we hastened to fasten upon it."

Believe the reference is to :: The House of the Seven Gables (also known as the Turner House or Turner-Ingersoll Mansion) is a 1668 colonial mansion in Salem, Massachusetts, named for its gables. It was made famous by Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1851 novel The House of the Seven Gables. It is one of the oldest surviving timber-framed mansion houses in continental North America, with 17 rooms and over 8,000 square feet (700 m2) including its large cellars. [Wikipedia]

Source :: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_the_Seven_Gables

Interesting Facts & Highlights

Named by William Dill DFG in 1948, for its obvious shape. Not much else.

Fishing: Goldens