Peckinpah Mountain

Peckinpah Mountain rises about 6,000 feet in the Sierra National Forest just outside Oakhurst and North Fork, on the western edge of the Sierra Nevada south of Yosemite. It's not a park landmark — it's a quiet backcountry peak in working-forest country, reached by dirt roads rather than a maintained trailhead.

Getting There

Peckinpah Road (Forest Route 8S09) climbs from North Fork through Sierra National Forest toward Minarets Road, passing Peckinpah Meadow, dispersed campsites, and stretches of trail that loop with the road along the mountainside. Sections are rocky and narrow, and the route is popular with off-road drivers — a high-clearance or 4WD vehicle is the safer bet if you're driving it rather than hiking in.

A Working-Forest Name

Peckinpah Mountain, like the Peckinpah Meadow at its base, sits in a stretch of Sierra National Forest shaped by 19th-century logging and ranching. Place names through here often trace back to early homesteading or timber families, and this one likely does too — but the specific story behind the name isn't well documented, so treat it as local color rather than settled history.

• Elevation: roughly 6,000 feet
• Location: Sierra National Forest, near North Fork and Oakhurst, Madera County
• Access: Forest Route 8S09 (Peckinpah Road), high-clearance recommended