The Sentinel (Zion National Park)

The Sentinel
The Sentinel
	The Sentinel, northeast aspect, May 2017
Highest point
Elevation	7,120 ft (2,170 m)
Prominence	400 ft (122 m)
Parent peak	The East Temple
Isolation	0.81 mi (1.30 km)
Coordinates	37°13′53″N112°58′51″W / 37.23136°N 112.980779°W
Geography
	The Sentinel Location in Utah The Sentinel The Sentinel (the United States)
Country	United States
State	Utah
County	Washington
Protected area	Zion National Park
Parent range	Colorado Plateau
Topo map	USGS Springdale East
Geology
Rock age	Jurassic
Rock type	Navajo sandstone
Climbing
First ascent	1938 Bob Brinton, Glen Dawson
Easiest route	class 5 climbing

Last updated December 08, 2024

The Sentinel is a 7,120+ ft (2,170+ m) elevation Navajo Sandstone summit located near the Court of the Patriarchs in Zion National Park, in Washington County of southwest Utah, United States, that is part of the Towers of the Virgin.^[3] The national park map lists the elevation as 7,157-feet.

Description

The Sentinel is located 1.5 mi (2.4 km) north of Zion's park headquarters, towering 3,000 feet (910 m) above the park road and the floor of Zion Canyon. It is set alongside the North Fork of the Virgin River which drains precipitation runoff from this mountain. Its neighbors include Bee Hive, Mount Spry, The East Temple, Mount Moroni, Mountain of the Sun, Twin Brothers, and the Three Patriarchs. This feature's name was officially adopted in 1934 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.^[3] In 1995, a landslide at the base of The Sentinel dammed the Virgin River and washed out a section of the park road. The Sentinel was once much bigger before a huge rock avalanche fell from it, when 4,800 years ago the Sentinel Slide with a volume of 286 million cubic meters {10.1 billion cubic feet) dammed the river, thereby creating Sentinel Lake which existed for 700 years and filled with sediments, creating Zion's flat valley.^[4]^[5]

Climate

Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit The Sentinel. According to the Köppen climate classification system, it is located in a Cold semi-arid climate zone, which is defined by the coldest month having an average mean temperature below 32 °F (0 °C), and at least 50% of the total annual precipitation being received during the spring and summer. This desert climate receives less than 10 inches (250 millimeters) of annual rainfall, and snowfall is generally light during the winter.^[6]

Gallery

Sunrise on The Sentinel (centered)
Court of the Patriarchs in winter. Sentinel, Abraham Peak, Isaac, Moroni
Bee Hive Peak and The Streaked Wall (left), The Sentinel (right}
South aspect
Sentinel Slide
The Sentinel in autumn
The Sentinel through the Cottonwoods
Sunrise. (Bee Hive lower left)
The Sentinel seen from the Watchman Trail

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geology of the Zion and Kolob canyons area</span> Geology of Zion National Park in Utah

The geology of the Zion and Kolob canyons area includes nine known exposed formations, all visible in Zion National Park in the U.S. state of Utah. Together, these formations represent about 150 million years of mostly Mesozoic-aged sedimentation in that part of North America. Part of a super-sequence of rock units called the Grand Staircase, the formations exposed in the Zion and Kolob area were deposited in several different environments that range from the warm shallow seas of the Kaibab and Moenkopi formations, streams and lakes of the Chinle, Moenave, and Kayenta formations to the large deserts of the Navajo and Temple Cap formations and dry near shore environments of the Carmel Formation.

The Court of the Patriarchs is a sandstone cliff on the south face of the Three Patriarchs in Zion Canyon in Zion National Park in Washington County, Utah, United States.

Bee Hive is a 6,904 feet (2,104 m) Navajo Sandstone mountain in Zion National Park in Washington County, Utah, United States, that is part of the Towers of the Virgin.

Mount Spry is a small 5,720-ft elevation mountain summit made of Navajo Sandstone located in Zion National Park, in Washington County of southwest Utah, United States. Officially named in 1934, it honors William Spry (1864–1929), the third governor of Utah. The nearest higher peak is The East Temple, 0.34 miles (0.55 km) to the east. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the North Fork Virgin River.

The Watchman is a 6,545-foot (1,995 m) sandstone mountain summit located in Zion National Park, in Washington County of southwest Utah, United States.

Mount Moroni is a 5,690-foot (1,730 m) elevation Navajo Sandstone summit located at the Court of the Patriarchs in Zion National Park, in Washington County of southwest Utah, United States.

Altar of Sacrifice is a 7,505-foot (2,288 m) Navajo Sandstone mountain in Zion National Park in Washington County, Utah, United States, that is part of the Towers of the Virgin.

Mountain of the Sun is a 6,722-foot (2,049 m) elevation Navajo Sandstone summit located in Zion National Park, in Washington County of southwest Utah, United States. Mountain of the Sun is situated immediately east of Court of the Patriarchs, and south of Zion Lodge, towering 2,500 feet above the lodge and the floor of Zion Canyon. It is set on the east side of the North Fork of the Virgin River which drains precipitation runoff from this mountain. Its neighbors include The Sentinel, Mount Spry, The East Temple, and Mount Moroni. This feature's name was officially adopted in 1934 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.

Lady Mountain is a 6,945-foot (2,117 m) elevation Navajo Sandstone summit located in Zion National Park, in Washington County of southwest Utah, United States.

Red Arch Mountain is a 5,930-foot (1,810 m) elevation Navajo Sandstone summit located in Zion National Park, in Washington County of southwest Utah, United States.

Twin Brothers is a 6,863-foot (2,092 m) Navajo Sandstone mountain in Zion National Park in Washington County, Utah, United States.

Checkerboard Mesa is an iconic 6,520+ ft elevation Navajo Sandstone summit located in Zion National Park, in Kane County of southwest Utah, United States. Checkerboard Mesa is situated immediately southwest of the park's east entrance, towering 900 feet above the Zion – Mount Carmel Highway. Its nearest neighbor is Crazy Quilt Mesa, one-half mile immediately west, and separated by Checkerboard Mesa Canyon. This canyon holds pools of rainwater which provide a vital source of water for resident bighorn sheep. This peak was originally named Checkerboard Mountain by the park's third superintendent, Preston P. Patraw. The landform's toponym was officially adopted in 1935 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. The descriptive name stems from the cliff's distinctive multitudinous check lines in cross-bedded white sandstone which give the impression of a checkerboard. The horizontal lines are caused by cross-bedding, a remnant of ancient sand dunes. The vertical and sub-vertical lines formed by the contraction and expansion of the sandstone caused by temperature changes, freezing and thawing cycles, in combination with wetting and drying. Precipitation runoff from this mountain drains into tributaries of the Virgin River.

The Sundial is a 7,590-foot (2,310-meter) elevation white Navajo Sandstone summit located in Zion National Park, in Washington County of southwest Utah, United States.

Castle Dome is a 7,054-foot (2,150 m) elevation Navajo Sandstone summit located in Zion National Park, in Washington County of southwest Utah, United States. Castle Dome is situated northwest of Zion Lodge, towering 2,800 feet (850 m) above the lodge and the floor of Zion Canyon. It is set on the west side of the North Fork Virgin River which drains precipitation runoff from this mountain. It is wedged between Behunin Canyon and Heaps Canyon, with the popular Emerald Pools set at the southeast foot of this mountain. Its neighbors include Mount Majestic, Cathedral Mountain, The Great White Throne, Red Arch Mountain, Mountain of the Sun, and Lady Mountain. This feature's name was officially adopted in 1934 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.

Meridian Tower is a 7,340-foot (2,240 m) Navajo Sandstone mountain in Zion National Park in Washington County, Utah, United States, that is part of the Towers of the Virgin

Three Marys are three sandstone pillars in Zion National Park in Washington County, Utah, United States.

The Witch Head is a 7,340-foot (2,240 m) white Navajo Sandstone mountain in Zion National Park in Washington County, Utah, United States, that is part of the Towers of the Virgin.

Crazy Quilt Mesa is a 6,760 ft (2,060 m) elevation white Navajo Sandstone summit located in Zion National Park, in Kane County of southwest Utah, United States.

The Three Patriarchs is a set of three sandstone monoliths on the west side of Zion Canyon in Zion National Park in Washington County, Utah, United States. The three main peaks were named by Frederick Fisher in 1916 for the biblical figures Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Court of the Patriarchs is the cliff that runs along the south face of the Three Partiarchs.

The Towers of the Virgin is a series of several lofty sandstone monoliths on the west side of Zion Canyon in Zion National Park in Washington County, Utah, United States.

References

1 2 3 4 "The Sentinel, Utah". Peakbagger.com.
↑ "Sentinel, The - 7,160' UT". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
1 2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: The Sentinel
↑ "How a huge landslide shaped Zion National Park | UNews".
↑ James Kaiser, Zion: The Complete Guide, 1st Edition, 2019, Destination Press, ISBN 978-1940754-40-6
↑ "Zion National Park, Utah, USA - Monthly weather forecast and Climate data". Weather Atlas. Archived from the original on January 27, 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2020.

External links

Zion National Park National Park Service
Weather: The Sentinel
Sentinel Rock Climbing: mountainproject.com
Flickr photo
Sentinel Slide

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[pb-1] 1 2 3 4 "The Sentinel, Utah". Peakbagger.com.

[listsofjohn-2] "Sentinel, The - 7,160' UT". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2020-09-03.

[gnis-3] 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: The Sentinel

[4] "How a huge landslide shaped Zion National Park | UNews".

[5] James Kaiser, Zion: The Complete Guide, 1st Edition, 2019, Destination Press, ISBN 978-1940754-40-6

[Weather_Atlas-6] "Zion National Park, Utah, USA - Monthly weather forecast and Climate data". Weather Atlas. Archived from the original on January 27, 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2020.

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