Muriel Peak is a double summit mountain located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Fresno County, California, United States.R. J. Secor, The High Sierra Peaks, Passes, Trails, 2009, Third Edition, Mountaineers Books, , p. 311 The true summit is set within the John Muir Wilderness on land managed by Sierra National Forest, whereas the slightly lower south summit is on the boundary shared with Kings Canyon National Park. It is situated one mile northeast of Mount Goethe and one mile south of Muriel Lake. Muriel Peak is the 167th-highest peak in California, and topographic relief is significant as the summit rises above Muriel Lake.
History The first ascent of the summit was made July 8, 1933, by Hervey Voge, who also named this mountain.Alan M. Hedden and David R. Brower, A Climber’s Guide to the High Sierra (1954)A Climber’s Guide to the High Sierra (1954), edited by Hervey H. Voge The landform's toponym has been officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, and was named in association with Muriel Lake which had previously been adopted in 1911. The origin of the lake's etymology is a mystery, but was likely applied during a 1907–09 USGS topographic survey.Peter Browning (1986), Place Names of the Sierra Nevada: From Abbot to Zumwalt, Wilderness Press, , p. 156
Climate According to the Köppen climate classification system, Muriel Peak is located in an alpine climate zone. 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 north into headwaters of Piute Creek which is a tributary of the South Fork San Joaquin River.
Gallery
See also
List of mountain peaks of California
References
External links Weather forecast: Muriel Peak Muriel Peak (photo): Flickr