Merced Peak

Merced Peak, with an elevation of 11,731 feet (3,576 m), is the highest point in the Clark Range,[1] just surpassing three other peaks; Red Peak (11,704 feet),[5] Gray Peak (11,578 feet),[6] and Mount Clark (11,527 feet).

Merced Peak
South aspect, aerial view
Highest point
Elevation11,731 ft (3,576 m) NAVD 88[1]
Prominence1,206 ft (368 m)[1]
ListingSierra Peaks Section[2]
Coordinates37°38′07″N 119°23′41″W[3]
Geography
Merced Peak is located in California
Merced Peak
Merced Peak
Location in California
Merced Peak is located in the United States
Merced Peak
Merced Peak
Merced Peak (the United States)
LocationMadera County, California, U.S.
Parent rangeClark Range
Topo mapUSGS Merced Peak
Climbing
Easiest routeScramble, class 2[2][4]

Merced Peak is located close to southern border of Yosemite National Park, near the Ottoway Lakes. The summit can be approached from the Quartz Mountain Trailhead over Chiquito pass or from one of two trailheads on the road to Glacier Point.[7]

In 1871, influential Scottish-American naturalist John Muir discovered an active alpine glacier below Merced Peak, which helped his theory that Yosemite Valley was formed by glacial action gain acceptance.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Merced Peak is located in an alpine climate zone.[8] 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 moisture in the form of rain or snowfall to drop onto the range.

See also
  • Merced Peak, west aspect
    Merced Peak, west aspect
  • Merced Peak seen from Ottoway Lake
    Merced Peak seen from Ottoway Lake

References
  1. "Merced Peak". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
  2. "Sierra Peaks Section List" (PDF). Angeles Chapter, Sierra Club. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  3. "Merced Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
  4. Secor, R.J. (2009). The High Sierra Peaks, Passes, and Trails (3rd ed.). Seattle: The Mountaineers. pp. 408–409. ISBN 978-0898869712.
  5. "Red Peak, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
  6. "Gray Peak, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
  7. "Merced Peak". SummitPost.org. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
  8. "Climate of the Sierra Nevada". Encyclopædia Britannica.


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