Jakes Peak
South aspect centered, from Mt. Tallac
Highest point
Elevation	9,187 ft (2,800 m)[1][2]
Prominence	227 ft (69 m)[3]
Parent peak	Peak 9269[4]
Isolation	1.01 mi (1.63 km)[4]
Coordinates	38°58′12″N 120°07′21″W / 38.9700026°N 120.1223728°W / 38.9700026; -120.1223728[5]
Naming
Etymology	Jeffery "Jake" Smith[1]
Geography
Jakes Peak Location in California Show map of California Jakes Peak Jakes Peak (the United States) Show map of the United States
Location	El Dorado County, California, U.S.
Parent range	Sierra Nevada[3]
Topo map	USGS Emerald Bay
Climbing
Easiest route	class 4[4]

Jakes Peak is a 9,187-foot-elevation (2,800-meter) mountain summit located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in El Dorado County, California, United States. It is set within the Desolation Wilderness, on land managed by Eldorado National Forest. This iconic peak is situated above the southwest shore of Lake Tahoe, and approximately seven miles (11 km) northwest of the community of South Lake Tahoe. Topographic relief is significant as the east aspect rises 2,950 feet (900 meters) above the lake in 1.5 miles (2.4 km).

This mountain's name remembers ski patroller Jeffery James Smith (1954–1982), commonly known as "Jake", and in honor of the other six persons who also died in an avalanche at the Alpine Meadows Ski Area on March 31, 1982.^[5] This landform's toponym was officially adopted in 1985 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.^[5]

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Jakes Peak is located in an alpine climate zone.^[6] 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 (orographic lift), causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the range. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains to Lake Tahoe.

• Mountains portal
• Desolation Wilderness

• Weather forecast: Jakes Peak
• Jake Smith (story and photo): Tahoe Quarterly