Merced Peak

Merced Peak
South aspect, aerial view
Highest point
Elevation	11,731 ft (3,576 m) NAVD 88^[1]
Prominence	1,206 ft (368 m)^[1]
Listing	Sierra Peaks Section^[2]
Coordinates	37°38′07″N 119°23′41″W / 37.6352111°N 119.3945904°W / 37.6352111; -119.3945904^[3]
Geography
Merced Peak Location in California Show map of California Merced Peak Merced Peak (the United States) Show map of the United States
Location	Madera County, California, U.S.
Parent range	Clark Range
Topo map	USGS Merced Peak
Climbing
Easiest route	Scramble, class 2^[2]^[4]

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 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.

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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.

Climate data for Merced Peak (CA) 37.6362 N, 119.3897 W, Elevation: 11,165 ft (3,403 m) (1991–2020 normals)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	32.7 (0.4)	31.9 (−0.1)	34.8 (1.6)	37.9 (3.3)	45.1 (7.3)	54.8 (12.7)	62.9 (17.2)	62.0 (16.7)	56.6 (13.7)	47.7 (8.7)	38.7 (3.7)	32.7 (0.4)	44.8 (7.1)
Daily mean °F (°C)	23.9 (−4.5)	22.1 (−5.5)	24.5 (−4.2)	27.3 (−2.6)	34.0 (1.1)	43.5 (6.4)	51.1 (10.6)	50.4 (10.2)	45.0 (7.2)	37.0 (2.8)	28.9 (−1.7)	23.5 (−4.7)	34.3 (1.3)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	15.2 (−9.3)	12.3 (−10.9)	14.2 (−9.9)	16.6 (−8.6)	23.0 (−5.0)	32.3 (0.2)	39.2 (4.0)	38.8 (3.8)	33.4 (0.8)	26.4 (−3.1)	19.2 (−7.1)	14.2 (−9.9)	23.7 (−4.6)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	12.16 (309)	10.66 (271)	9.43 (240)	5.30 (135)	3.36 (85)	0.89 (23)	0.61 (15)	0.52 (13)	0.79 (20)	3.31 (84)	5.25 (133)	10.75 (273)	63.03 (1,601)
Source: PRISM Climate Group^[9]

Gallery

Merced Peak, west aspect
Merced Peak seen from Ottoway Lake

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Merced Peak". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
^ ^a ^b "Sierra Peaks Section List" (PDF). Angeles Chapter, Sierra Club. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
^ "Merced Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2011-06-17.
^ Secor, R.J. (2009). The High Sierra Peaks, Passes, and Trails (3rd ed.). Seattle: The Mountaineers. pp. 408–409. ISBN 978-0898869712.
^ "Red Peak, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2014-02-23.
^ "Gray Peak, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
^ "Merced Peak". SummitPost.org. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
^ "Climate of the Sierra Nevada". Encyclopædia Britannica.
^ "PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University". PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University. Retrieved October 8, 2023. To find the table data on the PRISM website, start by clicking Coordinates (under Location); copy Latitude and Longitude figures from top of table; click Zoom to location; click Precipitation, Minimum temp, Mean temp, Maximum temp; click 30-year normals, 1991-2020; click 800m; click Retrieve Time Series button.