| Mount Jepson | |
| Elevation Ft: | 13390. |
| Elevation Ref: | [1] |
| Prominence Ft: | 334 |
| Prominence Ref: | [2] |
| Isolation Mi: | 0.60 |
| Isolation Ref: | [3] |
| Parent Peak: | Mount Sill (14,159 ft) |
| Etymology: | Willis Linn Jepson |
| Map: | California#USA |
| Map Size: | 240 |
| Label Position: | bottom |
| Location: | Kings Canyon National Park Fresno / Inyo Counties California, U.S. |
| Range: | Sierra Nevada |
| Coordinates: | 37.0888°N -118.4953°W |
| Coordinates Ref: | [4] |
| Topo: | USGS Split Mountain |
| Rock: | Granodiorite[5] |
| Type: | Fault block |
| Age: | Cretaceous |
| First Ascent: | 1939 |
Mount Jepson is a 13,390-foot-elevation (4,081 meter) summit located on the shared boundary of Fresno County and Inyo County in California, United States.[4]
The peak is set on the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the Palisades area. It straddles the border shared by Kings Canyon National Park and John Muir Wilderness. It is situated 12miles southwest of Big Pine, southeast of line parent Mount Sill, and northwest of proximate parent Palisade Crest. Mount Jepson ranks as the 74th-highest peak in California,[3] and topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 2400abbr=offNaNabbr=off above Elinore Lake in approximately one mile. The John Muir Trail passes below the south base of the peak, providing an approach option.
The first ascent of the summit was made July 3, 1939, by Don McGeein, and Chet and Evelyn Errett.[1]
This mountain's toponym was officially adopted in 1971 by the United States Board on Geographic Names to honor Willis Linn Jepson (1867–1946), Professor of Botany, University of California at Berkeley, conservationist, writer, and charter member of the Sierra Club.[4] Dr. Lawrence R. Heckard, president of the California Botanical Society, submitted the name to the board for consideration for permanent official status. "Pine Marten Peak" had been a variant name.[4]
Mount Jepson is located in an alpine climate zone.[6] 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 them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the range. Precipitation runoff from this mountain drains northeast to South Fork Big Pine Creek, as well as south into Palisade Creek which is a tributary of the Middle Fork Kings River.