The peak is situated immediately southwest above Virginia Lakes, 1.8 miles (2.9 km) northeast of line parent Excelsior Mountain, and 1.8 miles (2.9 km) south of Dunderberg Peak.

Topographic relief is significant as the north aspect rises 1,500 feet (460 meters) above Cooney Lake in one-half mile (0.80 km), and the south aspect rises 3,600 feet (1,100 meters) above Lundy Canyon in one and a half miles (2.4 km).

The first ascent of the summit was made in 1905 by George R. Davis, Albert Hale Sylvester, and Pearson Chapman, all with the United States Geological Survey.

[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 moisture in the form of rain or snowfall to drop onto the range.