Cardinal Mountain

{{Short description|Mountain in the American state of California}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}

{{Infobox mountain

| name = Cardinal Mountain

| other_name =

| photo = Cardinal Mountain.jpg

| photo_caption = South aspect from Taboose Pass

| elevation_ft = 13,402

| elevation_ref = {{NAVD88}}{{cite peakbagger |pid=2740|name=Cardinal Mountain, California|accessdate=2021-05-26}}

| prominence_ft = 568

| prominence_ref =

| isolation_mi = 1.14

| isolation_ref =

| parent_peak = Split Mountain - South Peak

| etymology = Cardinal (color)

| listing = {{ubl

| SPS Emblem peak{{cite sps |access-date=2021-10-06}}

| Vagmarken Club Sierra Crest List{{cite vagmarken |access-date=2021-11-06}} }}

| map = California#USA

| map_caption = none

| map_size = 200

| label_position = left

| location = {{ubl

| Kings Canyon National Park

| Fresno County{{thin space|/}}Inyo County

| California, U.S. }}

| range = Sierra Nevada

| coordinates = {{coord|36.9994047|N|118.4127374|W|type:mountain_region:US-CA_scale:100000_source:GNIS|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

| coordinates_ref = {{cite gnis|id=257971|name=Cardinal Mountain|accessdate=2021-05-26}}

| topo = USGS Mount Pinchot

| rock = metamorphic over granitic

| age =

| first_ascent = 1922

| easiest_route = Simple scramble {{YDS|2}}{{cite Secor |page=172 |edition=1}}

}}

Cardinal Mountain is a {{convert|13,396|ft|meter|adj=mid|-elevation|abbr=off|sp=us}} mountain summit located on the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in northern California. It is situated on the common border of Fresno County with Inyo County, as well as the shared boundary of John Muir Wilderness and Kings Canyon National Park. It is {{convert|14|mi}} south-southwest of the community of Big Pine, approximately one mile north of Taboose Pass, and one mile south-southeast of Split Mountain, which is the nearest higher neighbor. Cardinal Mountain ranks as the 73rd highest summit in California.{{cite loj |id=32317 |name=Cardinal Mountain CA |access-date=2021-11-06}} The first ascent of the summit was made August 11, 1922, by George Downing Jr.[https://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/climbers_guide/palisades_to_kearsarge_pass.html Fred L. Jones, A Climber’s Guide to the High Sierra (1954)] The standard approach is via the Taboose Pass Trail, and the John Muir Trail passes west of this peak, providing an approach option to the mountain. The mountain's descriptive name was given by George R. Davis, a USGS topographer, on account of the brilliant red color of the roof pendant, like the red cap of a cardinal.[http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/place_names_of_the_high_sierra/c.html Francis P. Farquhar, Place Names of the High Sierra (1926)]