Wells Peak

LocationYosemite National Park
Tuolumne County, California, U.S.Parent rangeSierra NevadaTopo mapUSGS Piute MountainGeologyAge of rockCretaceousMountain typeFault blockType of rockGranodioriteClimbingFirst ascent1945Easiest routeclass 2 North ridge^[1]

Wells Peak is a granitic mountain summit with an elevation of 11,109 feet (3,386 m) located in Yosemite National Park, in Tuolumne County, California, United States. The peak is situated between Stubblefield and Thompson canyons in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 2,100 feet (640 meters) above Stubblefield Canyon in one mile. Precipitation runoff from this landform drains southwest to Hetch Hetchy via Rancheria Creek.

History

Wells Peak was named in the 1890s by R. B. Marshall of the USGS to honor Rush Spencer Wells (1874–1951), US Army officer.^[5][6] The US Army had jurisdiction over Yosemite National Park from 1891 to 1914, and each summer 150 cavalrymen traveled from the Presidio of San Francisco to patrol the park. This landform's toponym was officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names in 1932.^[4]

The first ascent of the summit was made July 27, 1945, by Arthur J. Reyman.^[1]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Wells Peak is located in an alpine climate zone.^[7] 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 (orographic lift), causing moisture in the form of rain or snowfall to drop onto the range.

See also