| Tinker Knob | |
| Elevation Ft: | 8949 |
| Elevation Ref: | [1] |
| Prominence Ft: | 1029 |
| Prominence Ref: | [2] |
| Isolation Mi: | 3.18 |
| Isolation Ref: | [3] |
| Parent Peak: | Granite Chief (9,010 ft) |
| Listing: | Sierra Peaks Section |
| Etymology: | James A. Tinker |
| Map: | California#USA |
| Map Size: | 250 |
| Label Position: | right |
| Country: | United States of America |
| State: | California |
| Region: | Placer |
| Region Type: | County |
| Range: | Sierra Nevada |
| Coordinates: | 39.2446°N -120.2849°W |
| Coordinates Ref: | [4] |
| Topo: | USGS Granite Chief |
| Age: | Pliocene[5] |
| Rock: | Andesite |
| Type: | Volcanic vent[6] |
| Easiest Route: | hiking |
Tinker Knob is an 8,949-foot-elevation (2,728 meter) mountain summit in Placer County, California, United States.
Tinker Knob is located 5.5miles south-southeast of Donner Pass and 10miles northwest of Lake Tahoe, on land managed by Tahoe National Forest. It is situated on the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, with precipitation runoff from the peak draining west to North Fork American River and east to the Truckee River via Deep Creek and Cold Creek. Topographic relief is modest as the summit rises 2350abbr=offNaNabbr=off above North Fork American River in one mile. Neighbors include Anderson Peak 1.2miles northwest, Mount Lincoln 3.8miles to the northwest, and line parent Granite Chief is 3.2miles to the south. The Pacific Crest Trail traverses the peak, providing an approach option from Donner Pass or Palisades Tahoe, and inclusion on the Sierra Peaks Section peakbagging list generates climbing interest.
This landform's toponym has been officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names,[4] and has appeared in publications since at least 1874.[7] [8] The name commemorates James A. Tinker, a freight-hauling teamster whose road between Tinker's Station (now known as Soda Springs) and gold mines at Foresthill Divide passed below this peak to the west.[9] More specifically, the landform's name is a humorous reference to a resemblance to Tinker's nose.[10]
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Tinker Knob is located in an alpine climate zone.[11] 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.