[1] Topographic relief is significant as the west aspect rises 3,100 feet (940 meters) above Goddard Canyon in two miles.

This geographical feature was named for William John McGee (1853–1912), well-known American geologist and anthropologist.

[3] The first ascent of the summit was made in July 1923 by Roger N. Burnham, Robert E. Brownlee, Ralph H. Brandt, and Leonard Keeler.

[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, causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the range (orographic lift).