| Junipero Serra Peak | |
|---|---|
 Junipero Serra Peak in 2015 | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 5,857 ft (1,785 m) NAVD 88[1] |
| Prominence | 4,447 ft (1,355 m)[2] |
| Listing | |
| Coordinates | 36°08′44″N 121°25′08″W / 36.14560555°N 121.419008781°W[1] |
| Geography | |
  Junipero Serra Peak  Junipero Serra Peak | |
| Location | Monterey County, California, U.S. |
| Parent range | Santa Lucia Mountains |
| Topo map | Junipero Serra Peak |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Trail hike |
Junipero Serra Peak is the highest mountain in the Santa Lucia range of central California with a height of 1,785 metres (5,856 feet).[1] It is also the highest peak in Monterey County, and is located within the boundaries of Los Padres National Forest.[2] It is named after Saint Junípero Serra, the Spanish Franciscan priest who founded the California Missions in the 18th century. There is a fire lookout, with a tower and building, near the peak that was constructed around 1935. An unauthorized skiing operation on the summit was reported sometime before 1970. Good astronomical observing conditions were an early attraction to the peak. Astronomers scratched a trail to the summit in January 1880 to observe a total eclipse of the sun.[3] Observations from the peak were also made on the transit of Venus in 1882.
- ^ a b c "Santa Lucia". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
- ^ a b "Junipero Serra Peak, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
- ^ Davidson, George 1882. The total solar eclipse of January 11, 1880, observed at Mount Santa Lucia, California. p. 463-464. U.S. Coast and Geod. Sur. Annu. Rep. for 1882.