California County High Points

Showing James Barlow's first ascent dates for climbed peaks

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List Description

There are 58 counties in California, and their high points reflect the tremendous variety of the Golden State. The top of the list is dominated by the high peaks in the Sierra Nevada, plus the two 14,000-foot non-Sierra peaks in the state, Shasta and White Montain Peak. From the deserts a few miles from the Mexcian border, to deeply forested coastal hills in the state's northwest corner, to lonely and remote summits along the central coast, to the urban parks of the Bay Area, there is something for almost anyone on this list.

North Palisade, by consensus, is the most difficult climb technically on this list as a class 4 scramble. However, a number of lower peaks are on private land where you need to arrange for access.

Acknowledgements

• By 1990 I had determined several of these high points by personal research.
• Book County High Points by Andy Martin; list compiled by Dinesh Desai, with generous help from Joy Desai, Bill Hauser, John Sarna, and Gary Suttle.
• Book California County Summits by Garry Suttle (see link below).
• In September, 2008, Jerry Brekhus of Montana determined the new Placer County high point, long thought to be Granite Chief Mountain.

Links

Selected Guidebook(s) for this List

  California County Summits (Suttle)

Caution: These books feature many of the peaks on this list, but may not have information on all of them.