Phipps Peak is a mountain in the Sierra Nevada to the west of Emerald Bay and Lake Tahoe; and to the east of Rockbound Valley and the Crystal Range. The peak is in El Dorado County, California and the Desolation Wilderness.

Phipps Peak
Highest point
Elevation9,238 ft (2,816 m) NAVD 88[1]
Prominence434 ft (132 m)[1]
ListingTahoe OGUL mountaineer peak[2]
Coordinates38°57′16″N 120°08′59″W / 38.9543910°N 120.1496818°W / 38.9543910; -120.1496818[3]
Geography
Phipps Peak is located in California
Phipps Peak
Phipps Peak
Location in California
LocationEl Dorado County, California, U.S.
Parent rangeSierra Nevada
Topo mapUSGS Rockbound Valley
Climbing
Easiest routeEasy scramble, class 2[4]

Phipps Peak is named after William Phipps, a California pioneer originally from Kentucky that fought in the American Army during the American Indian Wars.[5] He claimed to be a "General" in the Army, though that was a self-proclaimed title. In 1854, he settled in the small settlement of Georgetown, California (named after George Phipps who is unrelated) about 100 miles west of Tahoe, and six years later relocated to McKinney Bay at Lake Tahoe where he settled on a 160-acre homestead near General Creek.[6] Nearby Phipps Pass and General Creek are also named after Phipps.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Phipps Peak, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2014-01-18.
  2. ^ "Tahoe OGUL Peaks List". Retrieved 2021-11-18.
  3. ^ "Phipps Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
  4. ^ "Phipps Peak". SummitPost.org. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
  5. ^ Gudde, Erwin G. (1949). California Place Names. Berkeley: Univ. of California Press. p. 260.
  6. ^ McLaughli, Mark (July 13, 2016). "General Phipps: Intrepid Tahoe Pioneer". The Tahoe Weekly. Retrieved 2021-11-18.