Split Mountain

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Split Mountain
Sunrise on Split Mountain's east face, September 2004.
Elevation	14,064 ft (4,287 m)
Location	California, United States
Range	Sierra Nevada
Prominence	1,558 ft (475 m)
Coordinates	37°01′15.38938″N 118°25′20.67655″W / 37.0209414944, -118.4224101528Coordinates: 37°01′15.38938″N 118°25′20.67655″W / 37.0209414944, -118.4224101528
Type	granite
First ascent	1887 Frank Saulque and party
Easiest route	Scramble via N slope
Listing	SPS Emblem peak

Split Mountain is a peak in the Sierra Nevada in the US state of California, near the southeast end of the Palisades group of peaks. Its north summit rises to 14,064 feet (4,287 m), and is the eighth highest peak in the state.

The name Split Mountain, inspired by the shape of its double summit, was first coined by mountaineer Bolton Brown in 1895. Alternately, it has been called Southeast Palisade or South Palisade.

The two toned appearance of the mountain's eastern face is created by a roof pendant of darker colored granodiorite atop a lighter colored body of leucogranite.

Split Mountain is one of the easier California fourteeners to climb. The least technical route is the class 2 north slope, which can be approached from the west or east. Joseph LeConte, Helen LeConte and Curtis Lindley took the simple western approach from Upper Basin when they climbed Split Mountain on July 23, 1902. A more common route to the north face is from the east, by way of Red Lake. Starting at the Red Lake trailhead, this trail covers 6 miles (10 km) with 4,000 feet (1,220 m) of elevation gain one way to the lake. From here, another 3,500 ft (1,070 m) of cross-country climbing, including a short class 3 ridge traverse, leads to the summit.

There are many more technical routes up both the north and south peaks of Split Mountain.