Topographic relief is significant as the north aspect rises 3,200 feet (980 meters) above McGee Creek in approximately 1.75 mile.

[5] The name was applied during a 1907–09 survey by Robert Bradford Marshall of the USGS to honor Leland Stanford (1824–1893), the 8th governor of California.

[7] Stanford was one of four principal investors, along with Mark Hopkins, Collis Huntington and Charles Crocker (also known as The Big Four), who formed the Central Pacific Railroad.

The first ascent of the summit was made by Robert B. Marshall, George R. Davis, C. F. Urquhart and L. F. Biggs, during the 1907–1909 Goddard Quadrangle survey for the USGS.

As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks (orographic lift), causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the range.