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Sierra Peaks Section

247 peaks

Sierra Peaks Section

What is the Sierra Peaks Section list?

The Sierra Peaks Section (SPS) is a group within the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club, founded in 1955, and its Peaks List is the classic tick list of the Sierra Nevada. The current list has 247 peaks, grouped into 24 geographic areas that run south to north from the Kern Plateau to Lake Tahoe. It mixes the range's best-known summits, like Mount Whitney, Half Dome and North Palisade, with remote granite peaks that see only a few parties a year. Fifteen are emblem peaks, the signature summits of the list, and 35 are mountaineers peaks with harder climbing. Peaks are added and dropped by member vote, so Yak follows the current edition of the list.

Sierra Peaks Section list

Climbing the Sierra Peaks Section

The SPS spans nearly the whole Sierra Nevada. The southern areas hold lower desert peaks like Owens Peak and Spanish Needle, the High Sierra between Mount Whitney and Yosemite holds most of the list's 13,000 and 14,000 foot summits, and the northern areas reach Tahoe peaks like Mount Tallac and Mount Rose. Most peaks are Class 2 or 3 off-trail climbs on talus and granite, about 20 have Class 4 moves, and a few, including Thunderbolt Peak and Mount Clarence King, need Class 5 climbing on their standard routes. Round trips run from under 3 miles for Smith Mountain to more than 50 for deep backcountry peaks like Mount Reinstein, and more than half the list is usually climbed on overnight trips. Yak shows each peak's standard route, trailhead and stats so you can plan the next one and watch your count grow.

Frequently asked questions

How many peaks are on the Sierra Peaks Section list?

The current SPS Peaks List has 247 peaks in 24 geographic areas. The list changes from time to time, since members vote to add, drop or suspend peaks, so older editions may show a slightly different count.

What are the SPS emblem peaks?

The 15 emblem peaks are the signature summits of the list: Mount Whitney, Mount Williamson, North Palisade, Split Mountain, Mount Humphreys, Mount Darwin, Mount Kaweah, Mount Abbot, Mount Goddard, Mount Brewer, Mount Ritter, Mount Lyell, Mount Clarence King, Matterhorn Peak and Olancha Peak.

How do you earn the SPS emblem and list completion?

SPS members earn the Emblem by climbing 10 emblem peaks plus 15 other list peaks. The Senior Emblem takes 100 list peaks, including all 15 emblem peaks, 15 mountaineers peaks and two peaks from each of the 24 areas, and the Master Emblem takes 175. List Completion means climbing every peak on the current list. Awards go through the Sierra Peaks Section, and Yak tracks your progress toward them.

What is the highest peak on the SPS list?

Mount Whitney, at 14,505 feet, is the highest peak on the list and in the contiguous United States. The list holds all of the Sierra's ranked 14ers, including Mount Williamson, North Palisade and Mount Russell, and its lowest peaks in the southern areas sit under 8,000 feet.

Which Sierra Peaks Section peaks are the hardest?

Thunderbolt Peak and Mount Clarence King need Class 5 climbing to reach their summits, and peaks like North Palisade, Mount Humphreys, Mount Darwin, Bear Creek Spire and Clyde Minaret have Class 4 sections. Many of the hardest peaks are also among the most remote, with approaches of 20 miles or more each way.

When is the best time to climb Sierra peaks?

July through September is the main season for the High Sierra, once snow clears from the passes and high trailheads open. The lower southern peaks, like Owens Peak and Spanish Needle, are often climbed in spring and fall when the high country is snowbound or hot.

Do I need a permit to climb SPS peaks?

Day climbs in most areas need no permit, but overnight trips into the Sierra's wilderness areas need a wilderness permit, and popular trailheads have daily quotas in summer, usually reserved on Recreation.gov. Mount Whitney and Half Dome need their own permits even for day climbs.

Is there an app to track the Sierra Peaks Section list?

Yes. Yak: Mountain Tracker is a free app for iPhone and Android that includes the Sierra Peaks Section as a quest with all 247 peaks. Mark each peak as climbed, log the date with notes and photos, plan the peaks you have left and see how close you are to finishing the list.

Track the Sierra Peaks Section

Log every SPS peak as you climb it, from your first emblem peak to number 247.

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Sierra Peaks Section

What is the Sierra Peaks Section list?

Sierra Peaks Section list

Mount Whitney

Mount Williamson

North Palisade

Mount Sill

Mount Russell

Split Mountain

Mount Langley

Mount Tyndall

Mount Muir

Middle Palisade

Thunderbolt Peak

Mount Barnard

Mount Keith

Mount Humphreys

Mount Stanford

Disappointment Peak

Norman Clyde Peak

Trojan Peak

Mount LeConte

Junction Peak

Mount Agassiz

Mount Mallory

Caltech Peak

Mount Darwin

Red Kaweah

Mount Kaweah

Mount Irvine

Mount McAdie

Mount Corcoran

Black Kaweah

Mount Winchell

Mount Morgan

Mount Abbot

Mount Gabb

Bear Creek Spire

Mount Mendel

Midway Mountain

Birch Mountain

Mount Tom

Milestone Mountain

Mount Dade

Table Mountain

Mount Ericsson

University Peak

Thunder Mountain

Palisade Crest

Tunnabora Peak

Mount Brewer

Mount Carillon

Mount Goddard

Mount Bolton Brown

Mount Fiske

Cloudripper

Mount Prater

Mount Thompson

Mount Gayley

Mount Pinchot

Mount Hale

Mount Pickering

Mount Mills

Mount Haeckel

Mount Lamarck

Mount Newcomb

Cardinal Mountain

The Thumb

Mount Powell

Mount Wallace

Mount Hilgard

Black Giant

Joe Devel Peak

North Guard

Mount Jordan

Black Mountain

Mount Goethe

Mount Bradley

Deerhorn Mountain

Mount McDuffie