White Mountains (California)

Coordinates: 37°35.0′N 118°16.05′W / 37.5833°N 118.26750°W / 37.5833; -118.26750
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see White Mountains (disambiguation).
White Mountains
Sierra Nevada

The White Mountains of

block faulting across the Furnace Creek Fault Zone, forming a feeder valley to Fish Lake Valley. The range lies within the eastern section of the Inyo National Forest
.

Ecology

Ecologically, the White Mountains are like the other ranges in the

mountain mahogany brush. Various subspecies of sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) extend from surrounding valleys to the lower alpine zone
.

Bristlecone pine, White Mountains, California.

A

Paiute Indians
whose descendants still live in adjacent valleys.

The White Mountains also have small remnant groves of

Horkelia hispidula
.

Fauna include two herds of

feral horses. Permanent streams have no native fish, but there are naturalized populations of trout including rare Paiute cutthroat trout which is protected from angling. Birds include Clark's nutcracker and other Corvidae
which eat and cache pine nuts.

History

Paiute
Indians occupied summer hunting camps up to about 13,100 ft (4,000 m), leaving ruins of archeological interest.

Geography

Aerial view of the White Mountains, looking north over the Pellisier Flats to Montgomery and Boundary Peaks at the end of the range.

The highest point in the range is White Mountain Peak, which at 14,252 ft (4,344 m) is the third-highest summit in California. This peak is actually an extinct volcano rising about 1,600 ft (490 m) above the plateau surface. The summit is composed of Mesozoic metavolcanic rock – lava lifted and melted by rising granite. The volcano itself is long since gone. The White Mountains are the highest range completely inside the

Sierra Nevada
Range along the basin's western edge has two higher summits. The entire range is within the Inyo National Forest.

Climate

Mount Barcroft is a mountain peak about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) south of White Mountain Peak.

Climate data for Mount Barcroft 37.5816 N, 118.2486 W, Elevation: 12,743 ft (3,884 m) (1991–2020 normals)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 26.1
(−3.3) 		23.4
(−4.8) 		26.9
(−2.8) 		30.2
(−1.0) 		37.7
(3.2) 		52.1
(11.2) 		59.5
(15.3) 		58.5
(14.7) 		50.0
(10.0) 		41.3
(5.2) 		32.8
(0.4) 		25.1
(−3.8) 		38.6
(3.7)
Daily mean °F (°C) 17.7
(−7.9) 		15.0
(−9.4) 		17.9
(−7.8) 		20.9
(−6.2) 		27.0
(−2.8) 		38.5
(3.6) 		45.3
(7.4) 		44.3
(6.8) 		39.7
(4.3) 		32.0
(0.0) 		23.9
(−4.5) 		17.2
(−8.2) 		28.3
(−2.1)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 9.2
(−12.7) 		6.6
(−14.1) 		9.0
(−12.8) 		11.7
(−11.3) 		16.3
(−8.7) 		24.9
(−3.9) 		31.2
(−0.4) 		30.4
(−0.9) 		29.3
(−1.5) 		22.7
(−5.2) 		15.1
(−9.4) 		9.3
(−12.6) 		18.0
(−7.8)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 3.40
(86) 		3.17
(81) 		3.08
(78) 		1.70
(43) 		1.35
(34) 		0.69
(18) 		0.98
(25) 		1.00
(25) 		0.47
(12) 		1.49
(38) 		0.83
(21) 		2.88
(73) 		21.04
(534)
Source: PRISM Climate Group[2]
Climate data for Sheep Mountain (CA) 37.5269 N, 118.2174 W, Elevation: 12,152 ft (3,704 m) (1991–2020 normals)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 27.9
(−2.3) 		26.3
(−3.2) 		29.6
(−1.3) 		32.4
(0.2) 		40.2
(4.6) 		54.0
(12.2) 		61.3
(16.3) 		60.3
(15.7) 		51.7
(10.9) 		42.4
(5.8) 		34.7
(1.5) 		27.3
(−2.6) 		40.7
(4.8)
Daily mean °F (°C) 19.5
(−6.9) 		17.6
(−8.0) 		20.4
(−6.4) 		23.4
(−4.8) 		29.4
(−1.4) 		40.6
(4.8) 		47.5
(8.6) 		46.6
(8.1) 		41.0
(5.0) 		33.0
(0.6) 		25.9
(−3.4) 		19.4
(−7.0) 		30.4
(−0.9)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 11.2
(−11.6) 		8.9
(−12.8) 		11.1
(−11.6) 		14.3
(−9.8) 		18.7
(−7.4) 		27.3
(−2.6) 		33.8
(1.0) 		32.9
(0.5) 		30.4
(−0.9) 		23.7
(−4.6) 		17.1
(−8.3) 		11.5
(−11.4) 		20.1
(−6.6)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 3.18
(81) 		3.25
(83) 		2.81
(71) 		1.60
(41) 		1.30
(33) 		0.60
(15) 		0.91
(23) 		0.87
(22) 		0.50
(13) 		1.32
(34) 		0.89
(23) 		2.73
(69) 		19.96
(508)
Source: PRISM Climate Group[3]

Hiking

A four-wheel drive road reaches the summit of White Mountain Peak from the south to service the summit laboratory of the White Mountain Research Center. The road is normally gated seven miles from the summit at an elevation of 11,680 ft (3,560 m), making this California's easiest 14,000 ft (4,300 m) summit.

Boundary and Montgomery Peaks at the north end of the range

North of White Mountain Peak, two sharp arêtes alternate along the crest with the broad "whalebacks" plateau of Pellisier Flats with about six more summits over 13,000 ft (4,000 m). Pellisier Flats is a wide sloping bench at the 13000 foot level with rocky fields and short alpine vegetation. The bench includes Mt. Hogue at 12,743 ft. and further north Mt. Dubois at 13,559 ft., the high point on the plateau. Pellisier Flats is the broad spine of the White Mountains.[4]

The crest crosses the California–Nevada state line just south of a final high summit at Boundary Peak 13,147 ft (4,007 m), Nevada's high point. Boundary Peak is the "prow" of the triangular fault block. It has views directly down into valleys to the west, north and east that are hidden by the increasing width of the high plateau to the south. North of Boundary Peak the range rapidly loses altitude and ends at Montgomery Pass.

The west face of the White Mountains rises steeply out of Owens Valley. Climbing to any summit from this direction is a scramble with about 8,000 ft (2,400 m) elevation gain. Eastern slopes are somewhat gentler and have numerous cirques left by Pleistocene glaciers and even a few snowfields persisting through most summers. Most of these cirques are entered or approached by jeep roads and offer scenic yet non-technical routes to the crest.

References

  1. ^ "Pinus longaeva (Great Basin bristlecone pine) description – The Gymnosperm Database". www.conifers.org. Archived from the original on 2019-05-17. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
  2. ^ "PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University". PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University. Retrieved October 6, 2023. To find the table data on the PRISM website, start by clicking Coordinates (under Location); copy Latitude and Longitude figures from top of table; click Zoom to location; click Precipitation, Minimum temp, Mean temp, Maximum temp; click 30-year normals, 1991-2020; click 800m; click Retrieve Time Series button.
  3. ^ "PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University". PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University. Retrieved October 9, 2023. To find the table data on the PRISM website, start by clicking Coordinates (under Location); copy Latitude and Longitude figures from top of table; click Zoom to location; click Precipitation, Minimum temp, Mean temp, Maximum temp; click 30-year normals, 1991-2020; click 800m; click Retrieve Time Series button.
  4. ^ "The Natural History of the White Mountain Range, Geomorphology, Deborah Elliot-Fisk, pg 34". University of California Press, 1991. Archived from the original on September 24, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
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