Vennacher Needle
Vennacher Needle is a 12,995-foot-elevation (3,961 meter) mountain summit located in Kings Canyon National Park, in Fresno County of northern California, United States. It is situated west of the crest of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, and north of Mount Ruskin. Topographic relief is significant as the east aspect rises nearly 2,300 feet (700 meters) above the Upper Basin of South Fork Kings River in one mile. The John Muir Trail, which passes one mile to the east of this mountain, provides one possible approach option. This mountain's name has been officially adopted by the  United States Board on Geographic Names. Climate. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Vennacher Needle is located in an alpine climate zone. 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, causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the range (orographic lift). Precipitation runoff from this mountain drains into tributaries of the Kings River.