The Sphinx is a double summit granitic pillar located west of the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, in Kings Canyon National Park, in Fresno County of northern California. This landmark is situated at the northern end of the Great Western Divide, two miles southeast of Kanawyers, five miles northwest of North Guard, and immediately south of the confluence of Bubbs Creek and South Fork Kings River. Topographic relief is significant as the north aspect rises above the canyon in one mile. This geographical feature was named in 1891 by John Muir.Peter Browning, Place Names of the Sierra Nevada: From Abbot to Zumwalt, Wilderness Press, 1986, , page 206. This feature's name has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names. The Sphinx formation is the further north and slightly lower of the two peaks, and was the first rock climb done in the Kings Canyon region.Steve Roper, The Climber's Guide to the High Sierra, 1976, Sierra Club Books, , page 240. The first ascent of the summit was made July 26, 1940, by Art Argiewicz and Bob Jacobs.Robert L. Smith, A Climber’s Guide to the High Sierra (1954) The North Buttress was first climbed October 18, 1970, by Fred Beckey, Greg Donaldson, and Walt Vennum.Fred Beckey, The Sphinx, North Buttress, American Alpine Journal, 1972.
Climate According to the Köppen climate classification system, The Sphinx is located in an alpine climate zone.Climate of the Sierra Nevada, Britannica.com 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, causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the range (orographic lift). Precipitation runoff from the peak drains into the South Fork Kings River.
See also
List of mountain peaks of California Grand Sentinel
References
External links Weather forecast: National Weather Service