Mount Clark (California)

Mount Clark is a 11,527-foot (3,513 m) granite peak in the Clark Range, a sub-range of the Sierra Nevada. It is a popular destination for mountaineers.

Not to be confused with Clark Mountain (California).
Mount Clark
West face from Glacier Point Road, January 2008.
Highest point
Elevation11,527 ft (3,513 m) NAVD 88[1]
Prominence722 ft (220 m)[1]
Parent peakGray Peak (11,573 ft)[2]
Listing
  • SPS Mountaineers peak[3]
  • Western States Climbers Star peak[4]
Coordinates37°41′47″N 119°25′43″W[5]
Geography
Mount Clark is located in California
Mount Clark
Mount Clark
Location in California
Mount Clark is located in the United States
Mount Clark
Mount Clark
Mount Clark (the United States)
LocationYosemite National Park
Mariposa County, California, U.S.
Parent rangeClark Range, Sierra Nevada
Topo mapUSGS Merced Peak
Climbing
First ascent1866 by Clarence King and James T. Gardiner[6]
Easiest routeRock climb, class 4[7]

Both the mountain and the range are named in honor of Galen Clark, an early explorer and the first guardian of Yosemite National Park.[8] It was summited in 1866 by Clarence King and James Gardener of the US Geological Survey.[9] Before it received its present name, it was known as Gothic Peak and then The Obelisk, the name used by the Whitney Survey.[10] Obelisk Lake, at 9,853 feet (3,003 m) lies on the mountain's northeast flank.

Climate

Mount Clark is located in an alpine climate zone.[11] 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.

  • Aerial view from the southwest
    Aerial view from the southwest
  • Clark Range, Mt. Clark to right (north aspect)
    Clark Range, Mt. Clark to right (north aspect)
  • Red Peak (left), Gray Peak, Mt. Clark (right)
    Red Peak (left), Gray Peak, Mt. Clark (right)
  • North aspect of Mount Clark seen from Clouds Rest. Gray Peak to right.
    North aspect of Mount Clark seen from Clouds Rest. Gray Peak to right.

See also

References
  1. "Mount Clark". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2011-05-05.
  2. "Mount Clark". ListsOfJohn.com. Retrieved 2011-05-31.
  3. "Sierra Peaks Section List" (PDF). Angeles Chapter, Sierra Club. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
  4. "Western States Climbers Qualifying Peak List". Climber.org. Retrieved 2016-03-27.
  5. "Mount Clark". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
  6. Farquhar, Francis P. (1926). Place Names of the High Sierra. San Francisco: Sierra Club.
  7. Secor, R.J. (2009). The High Sierra Peaks, Passes, and Trails (3rd ed.). Seattle: The Mountaineers. pp. 409–411. ISBN 978-0898869712.
  8. Browning, Peter (2005). Yosemite Place Names: The Historic Background of Geographic Names in Yosemite National Park. Great West Books. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-944220-19-1.
  9. "Mount Clark : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost". www.summitpost.org. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
  10. Browning, Peter (1986). Place Names of the Sierra Nevada. Berkeley: Wilderness Press. p. 40. ISBN 978-0-89997-119-3.
  11. "Climate of the Sierra Nevada". Encyclopædia Britannica.
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