Thunderbolt Peak is a steep rock peak, rising from the Palisade Crest, immediately northwest of North Palisade (14,242 ft.). The steep monolithic summit is a difficult climb on all sides, and was the second last of California's fourteeners to be climbed. The name Thunderbolt Peak comes from a severe thunderstorm that surprised the party of the first ascent, during which Jules Eichorn was stunned by a bolt of lightening.