| Banner Peak | |
|---|---|
Banner Peak from Thousand Island Lake |
|
| Elevation | 12,936 ft (3,943 m) NGVD 29[1] |
| Prominence | 856 ft (261 m) [1] |
| Parent peak | Mount Ritter [2] |
| Listing | Sierra Peaks Section [3] |
| Location | |
| Location | Madera County, California, USA |
| Range | Ritter Range, Sierra Nevada |
| Coordinates | [4] |
| Topo map | USGS Mount Ritter |
| Geology | |
| Type | Metavolcanic rock |
| Age of rock | Cretaceous |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1883 by Willard D. Johnson and John Miller |
| Easiest route | Scramble, class 2 [3][5] |
Banner Peak is the second tallest peak in the Ritter Range of California's Sierra Nevada. The mountain is 12,936 feet (3,943 m) tall and there are a few glaciers on its slopes. It lies within the boundaries of the Ansel Adams Wilderness; at the foot of the peak lie Garnet Lake, Lake Ediza, and the famous Thousand Island Lake. Banner Peak is near the town of Mammoth Lakes; from there, climbers can hike to the foot of the mountain where various routes reach the summit, the easiest of which is a class 2[3] from the west end of Thousand-Island Lake and then the saddle between Banner Peak and the slightly-taller Mount Ritter. Other nearby lakes to the peak include Lake Catherine and Shadow Lake.
The peak was named in 1883 by USGS topographer Willard D. Johnson who observed a banner cloud streaming from the summit.[6]