Unicorn Peak (California)

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Unicorn Peak
Tuolumne Meadows - Fairview Dome - summit - 06.JPG
Unicorn Peak, Cockscomb, Echo Ridge and Cathedral Peak
Highest point
Elevation 10,823 ft (3,299 m)  NAVD 88 [1]
Prominence 103 ft (31 m) [1]
Coordinates 37°50′45″N119°22′55″W / 37.84583°N 119.38194°W / 37.84583; -119.38194 [1]
Geography
Location Yosemite National Park, California, United States
Range coordinates [1]
Parent range Cathedral Range, Sierra Nevada
Geology
Age of rock Cretaceous
Mountain type Granite
Climbing
First ascent Francis P. Farquhar and James Rennie in 1911
Easiest route Rock climb class 4

Unicorn Peak is a peak, in Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park. Unicorn Peak is due east of Cathedral Peak, and the north summit is highest. [2]

Contents

Unicorn Peak is part of the Cathedral Range. [3]

All three of Unicorn Peak, Cockscomb Peak, and Cathedral Peak qualify as nunataks , islands that stood above the ice, when the last ice age created glaciers in the area. [4] During the Tioga glaciation the peak projected above the glaciers, which carved and sharpened the peak's bases while plucking away at its sides. [5] [6]

On the area of Unicorn Peak

All of the following are at least close to Unicorn Peak: [7]

Hiking and rock climbing

Many hike, at least the base of Unicorn Peak, and to nearby sites. [8] [9] [10] [11]

To the summit, the easiest route is to rock climb a class 4, [2] though other routes are available. [12]

Related Research Articles

Tuolumne Meadows United States historic place

Tuolumne Meadows is a gentle, dome-studded, sub-alpine meadow area along the Tuolumne River in the eastern section of Yosemite National Park in the United States. Its approximate location is 37°52.5′N119°21′W. Its approximate elevation is 8,619 feet (2,627 m). The term Tuolumne Meadows is also often used to describe a large portion of the Yosemite high country around the meadows, especially in context of rock climbing.

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.

Cathedral Peak (California)

Cathedral Peak is part of the Cathedral Range, a mountain range in the south-central portion of Yosemite National Park in eastern Mariposa and Tuolumne Counties. The range is an offshoot of the Sierra Nevada. The peak which lends its name to the range derives its name from its cathedral-shaped peak, which was formed by glacial activity: the peak remained uneroded above the glaciers in the Pleistocene.

Lembert Dome

Lembert Dome is a granite dome rock formation in Yosemite National Park in the US state of California. The dome soars 800 feet (240 m) above Tuolumne Meadows and the Tuolumne River and can be hiked starting at the Tioga Road in the heart of Tuolumne Meadows, 8 miles (13 km) west of the Tioga Pass Entrance to Yosemite National Park. The landform is an example of a rôche moutonnée with clear lee and stoss slopes.

Mount Lyell (California)

Mount Lyell is the highest point in Yosemite National Park, at 13,114 feet (3,997 m). It is located at the southeast end of the Cathedral Range, 1.2 miles (1.9 km) northwest of Rodgers Peak. The peak as well as nearby Lyell Canyon is named after Charles Lyell, a well-known 19th century geologist. The peak had one of the last remaining glaciers in Yosemite, Lyell Glacier. The Lyell Glacier is currently considered to be a permanent ice field, not a living glacier. Mount Lyell divides the Tuolumne River watershed to the north, the Merced to the west, and the Rush Creek drainage in the Mono Lake Basin to the southeast.

Mount Maclure Mountain in California, United States

Mount Maclure is the nearest neighbor to Mount Lyell, the highest point in Yosemite National Park. Mount Maclure is the fifth-highest mountain of Yosemite. Mount Maclure is located at the southeast end of the Cathedral Range, about 0.6 miles (0.97 km) northwest of Lyell. The summit is on the boundary between Madera and Tuolumne counties which is also the boundary between the park and the Ansel Adams Wilderness. It was named in honor of William Maclure, a pioneer in American geology who produced the first geological maps of the United States. Maclure Glacier, one of the last remaining glaciers in Yosemite, is situated on the mountain's northern flank.

Pothole Dome

Pothole Dome is a granite dome on the west side of Tuolumne Meadows, in Yosemite National Park located at Tioga Road mile marker 18. Near Pothole Dome is Marmot Dome. The summit of the dome is easily accessible by foot from a parking area on the Tioga Road at mile marker 18. The view from the summit includes most of Tuolumne Meadows and in the distance, Cathedral Peak. The dome gives evidence of many of the geologic processes at work in Yosemite during and after the last ice age. In particular, the stranded, rounded boulders from a glacier that has long since retreated, and the water-eroded "potholes" provide evidence of two ways that water can interact with granite.

Fairview Dome

Fairview Dome is a prominent granite dome in Yosemite National Park, located 1.8 miles (2.9 km) north of Cathedral Peak and 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Tuolumne Meadows. Near Fairview Dome is Marmot Dome, linked by an area called Razor Back. Northwest is Hammer Dome.

Matthes Crest

Matthes Crest is an approximately mile-long fin of rock with two summits separated by a deep notch. It is a part of the Cathedral Range, which is a mountain range in the south-central portion of Yosemite National Park. The range is part of the Sierra Nevada.

Johnson Peak Johnson Peak is mountain peak, in Yosemite National Park, in the Tuolumne Meadows area

Johnson Peak is the highest mountain, in Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park.

Hiking, rock climbing, and mountain climbing around Tuolumne Meadows

Hiking, rock climbing, and mountain climbing around Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park has many options.

Tuolumne Peak Tuolumne Peak is mountain peak, in Yosemite National Park, in the Tuolumne Meadows area

Tuolumne Peak is a mountain, in Yosemite National Park, in the area of Tuolumne Meadows. It is a fractured granite, twin summited peak, and is close to geographic center of the park. Tuolumne Peak is located approximately 2.5 miles (4.0 km) northeast of Mount Hoffmann via a granite ridge-line. It is climbed less often than Hoffman, probably due to a more difficult approach.

Elizabeth Lake (Yosemite National Park)

Elizabeth Lake is a lake, in the area of Tuolumne Meadows, in Yosemite National Park, California. It was named for a geologist's niece, one Elizabeth Crow Simmons. The lake is at the base of Unicorn Peak, and is also near Johnson Peak.

Young Lakes Young Lakes are three lakes, in Yosemite National Park, in the Tuolumne Meadows area

Young Lakes are three lakes, north of Tuolumne Meadows, in Yosemite National Park, California.

Mariolumne Dome Mariolumne Dome is a granite dome, in Yosemite National Park, in the Tuolumne Meadows area

Mariolumne Dome is a granite dome, in the Tuolumne Meadows region of Yosemite National Park.

Puppy Dome Puppy Dome is a granite dome, in Yosemite National Park, in the Tuolumne Meadows area

Puppy Dome is a granite dome in Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park, California.

Cockscomb (Tuolumne Meadows) Mountain in the area of Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park, California

Cockscomb is a mountain, in the area of Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park, California.

Echo Peaks Nine mountains near Tuolumne Meadows, in Yosemite National Park, California

Echo Peaks consists of nine peaks, in the Tuolumne Meadows region of Yosemite National Park, California. They are near Echo Ridge.

Mammoth Peak

Mammoth Peak is a mountain, in the area of Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park, California. The summit is an easy hike.

Ragged Peak (Yosemite National Park) Ragged Peak is mountain in Yosemite National Park, in the Tuolumne Meadows area

Ragged Peak is a mountain, in the Tuolumne Meadows area of Yosemite National Park.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Unicorn Peak, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
  2. 1 2 Burd, Bob. "Unicorn Peak, California, United States, North America". summitpost.org. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  3. "Unicorn Peak, California". peakbagger.com. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  4. Field, Derek (2015-10-06). "Unicorn Peak (10,910′) & Cockscomb Peak (11,065′) via Unicorn-Cockscomb Traverse (Class-5 Scramble)". fieldofadventures.com. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  5. Huber, N. King (1987). "The Geologic Story of Yosemite National Park". yosemite.ca.us. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  6. Gregory, Candace (September 10, 2017). "Hiking up the Glacier Canyon Trail to Dana Plateau". sierranewsonline.com. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  7. "Unicorn Peak". mapcarta.com. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  8. "Elizabeth Lake Trail, Yosemite National Park". americansouthwest.net. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  9. "Day Hikes in Tuolumne Meadows". National Park Service. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  10. "Best Hiking Trails Near Unicorn Peak". gaiagps.com. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  11. "Elizabeth Lake". yosemitehikes.com. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  12. niroyb (September 27, 2015). "The Roof". mountainproject.com. Retrieved 7 February 2019.