| Pilot Knob | |
| Elevation Ft: | 12245 |
| Elevation Ref: | [1] [2] |
| Prominence Ft: | 645 |
| Prominence Ref: | [3] |
| Isolation Mi: | 2.50 |
| Isolation Ref: | [4] |
| Parent Peak: | Mount Morrow (12,402 ft) |
| Listing: | Sierra Peaks Section |
| Map: | California#USA |
| Map Size: | 260 |
| Label Position: | bottom |
| Location: | Fresno County, California, U.S. |
| Range: | Sierra Nevada |
| Coordinates: | 37.2734°N -118.7571°W |
| Coordinates Ref: | [5] |
| Topo: | USGS Mount Hilgard |
| Type: | Fault block |
| Rock: | Granodiorite |
| First Ascent: | Unknown[6] |
| Easiest Route: | East slope |
Pilot Knob is a 12,245-foot-elevation (3,732 meter) mountain summit located in Fresno County in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in northern California, United States.[5] It is situated at the intersection of Piute Canyon and French Canyon, in the John Muir Wilderness, on land managed by Sierra National Forest. It is set south of Merriam Peak and three miles north of the Matthes Glaciers. Pilot Knob is the 360th-highest peak in California,[4] and topographic relief is significant as the west aspect rises 2800abbr=offNaNabbr=off above Hutchinson Meadow in approximately one mile. This mountain was likely named by the USGS during the 1907–09 survey for the Mt. Goddard Quadrangle,[7] and the toponym has been officially adopted by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.[5]
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Pilot Knob is located in an alpine climate zone.[8] 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 them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the range. Precipitation runoff from this mountain drains into Piute Creek which is a tributary of the South Fork San Joaquin River.