Sawtooth Peak, Mountain summit in Tulare County, California.

Sawtooth Peak is a mountain summit in the Sierra Nevada, located within Sequoia National Park in Tulare County, California. The peak has steep granite faces and jagged ridgelines that make it easily recognizable from the valley floor below.

Sawtooth Peak was first climbed in 1871 by Joseph Lovelace during a deer hunt. The peak was formerly called Miner's Peak, and the mountain holds deposits of gold and mercury. The easiest route runs from Mineral King Valley up to Sawtooth Pass and then along the northwest slope to the summit.

The peak rises above Mineral King Valley, a remote area now part of Sequoia National Park and reached only by a winding mountain road. Hikers who visit the valley today find a landscape that has changed little since the end of mining activity there.

The climb to Sawtooth Peak is demanding and best suited to hikers with experience on rocky, exposed terrain. Those arriving from lower elevations should allow a day or two to adjust to the altitude before setting out.

The name of the peak comes directly from its silhouette: the jagged ridgeline resembles the teeth of a saw when seen from a distance, setting it apart from neighboring summits. This shape is the result of glacial erosion that carved the rock over a very long period.