Parsons Peak

Last updated
Parsons Peak
Highest point
Elevation 12,153 ft (3,704 m)  NAVD 88 [1]
Prominence 624 ft (190 m) [1]
Listing California county high points 8th
Coordinates 37°46′37″N119°18′28″W / 37.7768731°N 119.3076507°W / 37.7768731; -119.3076507 Coordinates: 37°46′37″N119°18′28″W / 37.7768731°N 119.3076507°W / 37.7768731; -119.3076507 [2]
Geography
Location Madera and Tuolumne counties, California, U.S.
Parent range Cathedral Range
Sierra Nevada
Topo map USGS Vogelsang Peak
Climbing
First ascent Marion Randall Parsons, prior to 1931 [3]
Easiest route Easy scramble, class 2 [3]

Parsons Peak is a mountain in Yosemite National Park and the Cathedral Range of California's Sierra Nevada. The peak, located on the MaderaTuolumne county line, rises to an elevation of 12,153 feet (3,704 m). The mountain has a ridge extending northwest from the summit. On this ridge is a point, referred to as Parsons Peak-Northwest Ridge, which rises to an elevation of about 8,848 feet (2,697 m) and at this point the boundaries of Mariposa, Tuolumne, and Madera counties meet. This point is the highest point in Mariposa County. [4] The summit of Parsons Peak is just outside Mariposa County.

Yosemite National Park National park in California, United States

Yosemite National Park is an American national park located in the western Sierra Nevada of Central California, bounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an area of 747,956 acres and sits in four counties: centered in Tuolumne and Mariposa, extending north and east to Mono and south to Madera County. Designated a World Heritage site in 1984, Yosemite is internationally recognized for its granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, giant sequoia groves, lakes, mountains, meadows, glaciers, and biological diversity. Almost 95% of the park is designated wilderness.

Cathedral Range mountain range in Yosemite National Park, California

The Cathedral Range is a mountain range immediately to the south of Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park. The range is an offshoot of the Sierra Nevada. The range is named after Cathedral Peak, which resembles a cathedral spire.

California State of the United States of America

California is a state in the Pacific Region of the United States. With 39.6 million residents, California is the most populous U.S. state and the third-largest by area. The state capital is Sacramento. The Greater Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nation's second- and fifth-most populous urban regions, with 18.7 million and 9.7 million residents respectively. Los Angeles is California's most populous city, and the country's second-most populous, after New York City. California also has the nation's most populous county, Los Angeles County, and its largest county by area, San Bernardino County. The City and County of San Francisco is both the country's second-most densely populated major city after New York City and the fifth-most densely populated county, behind only four of the five New York City boroughs.

Most of the precipitation that falls on the mountain is snow due to the very high elevation. [5]

The peak was named for Edward Taylor Parsons who for many years was a director of the Sierra Club. [6]

See also

Simmons Peak (Tuolumne Meadows)

Simmons Peak is a mountain, in the Tuolumne Meadows region of Yosemite National Park. In difficulty, its routes range from scrambling to class 4. It is a few miles north of Mount Lyell.

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References

  1. 1 2 "Parsons Peak, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
  2. "Parsons Peak". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey . Retrieved 2009-02-05.
  3. 1 2 Roper, Steve (1976). The Climber's Guide to the High Sierra. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books. pp. 101, 335. ISBN   9780871561473.
  4. "Parsons Peak-Northwest Ridge, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
  5. "Subsection M261Eo - Glaciated Batholith". U.S. Forest Service. Archived from the original on 2007-08-13. Retrieved 2009-02-05.
  6. Farquhar, Francis P. (1926). Place Names of the High Sierra. San Francisco: Sierra Club . Retrieved 2009-08-17.