Mount Watkins (California)
| Mount Watkins | |
|---|---|
 Southwest aspect reflected in Mirror Lake | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 8,497 ft (2,590 m)[1][2] |
| Prominence | 266 ft (81 m)[1][2] |
| Parent peak | Mount Hoffmann (10,855 ft)[2] |
| Isolation | 1.86 mi (2.99 km)[2] |
| Coordinates | 37°46′58″N 119°31′04″W / 37.7828327°N 119.5176494°W[3] |
| Naming | |
| Etymology | Carleton Watkins |
| Geography | |
  Mount Watkins Location in California  Mount Watkins Mount Watkins (the United States) | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | Mariposa |
| Protected area | Yosemite National Park |
| Parent range | Sierra Nevada |
| Topo map | USGS Yosemite Falls |
| Geology | |
| Age of rock | Cretaceous |
| Mountain type | Fault block |
| Type of rock | Granodiorite |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | class 2[2] |
Mount Watkins is an 8,497-foot-elevation (2,590 meter) mountain summit in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, in Mariposa County, California, United States.
Description
[edit]Mount Watkins is located in Yosemite National Park, 2.72 miles (4.37 km) north of Half Dome, and 1.86 miles (3 km) northwest of Clouds Rest.[1] Precipitation runoff from this mountain drains into Tenaya Creek which is a tributary of the Merced River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 2,700 feet (823 meters) above Tenaya Canyon in less than one mile (1.6 km). The mountain is composed of Half Dome Granodiorite which formed during the Cretaceous period.[4] An ascent of the summit involves 7.4 miles of hiking (round-trip) with 750 feet of elevation gain, and the months of June through October offer the best conditions.[5] Approach is via the Snow Creek Trail starting near Olmsted Point.
History
[edit]The mountain is named after Carleton Watkins (1829–1916),[3] an American photographer in the 1800s whose photographs of Yosemite significantly influenced the United States Congress' decision to preserve it as a National Park. His photograph of Mount Watkins reflected in Mirror Lake was especially popular, and likely led to his name being affixed to this mountain.[6] This mountain's toponym was officially adopted on June 30, 1932, by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names,[3] although it was featured in publications as early as 1871.[7] The Native American name for the mountain is "Waijau" which means Pine Mountain.[8]
Climbing
[edit]Along with El Capitan and Half Dome, Mount Watkins is one of the three main big walls in Yosemite for rock climbing.[9]
Rock climbing routes:
- South Face - class 5.11 - First ascent July 1964 - Warren Harding, Chuck Pratt, Yvon Chouinard[10][11]
- Teabag Wisdom - class 5.11 - FA 2016 - Vitaliy Musiyenko, Chris Koppl[12]
- The Twisted Road - class 5.12[13]
Climate
[edit]According to the Köppen climate classification system, Mount Watkins is located in an alpine climate zone.[14] 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.
See also
[edit]Gallery
[edit]-
Southwest aspect -
Mount Watkins (left), Half Dome (right) -
Mount Watkins (left), Clouds Rest (right), viewed from Half Dome -
Mount Watkins viewed from Half Dome.
(line parent Mount Hoffmann on the horizon) -
Mount Watkins viewed from Clouds Rest -
Mount Watkins (centered) viewed from Glacier Point. (Half Dome to right) -
Mount Watkins photographed in 1861 by namesake Carleton Watkins -
Watkins reflected in Mirror Lake, early 1900s -
Watkins reflected in Mirror Lake -
Watkins reflected in Mirror Lake -
Watkins reflected in Mirror Lake
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References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Mount Watkins, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ a b c d e "Watkins, Mount - 8,497' CA". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ a b c "Mount Watkins". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ Keith Daniel Putirka, Geologic Excursions from Fresno, California, and the Central Valley: A Tour of California s Iconic Geology, Geological Society of America, 2013, ISBN 9780813700328, p. 16.
- ^ Scott Turner, Day Hiking: Yosemite National Park, Mountaineers Books, 2021, ISBN 9781680512779.
- ^ Francis P. Farquhar, Place Names of the High Sierra (1926)
- ^ Samuel Kneeland, The Wonders of the Yosemite Valley, and of California, A. Moore, 1871, p. 39.
- ^ Place Names of the High Sierra, Francis Peloubet Farquhar, Sierra Club, 1926, p. 102.
- ^ Jared Ogden, Big Wall Climbing: Elite Technique, The Mountaineers Books, 2005, ISBN 9781594852961, p. 192.
- ^ South Face, Mountainproject.com, Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ Maurice Isserman, Continental Divide: A History of American Mountaineering, W. W. Norton & Company, 2016, ISBN 9780393292527.
- ^ Teabag Wisdom, Mountainproject.com, Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ The Twisted Road, Mountainproject.com, Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ "Climate of the Sierra Nevada". Encyclopædia Britannica. 17 September 2024.
External links
[edit]- Weather forecast: Mount Watkins
- Mount Watkins rock climbing: mountainproject.com
- Watkins Pinnacles (photo): Flickr
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