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Mount Gibbs

Coordinates: 37°52′38″N 119°12′43″W / 37.8771495°N 119.2118164°W / 37.8771495; -119.2118164
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mount Gibbs
West aspect, from Tuolumne Meadows
Highest point
Elevation12,779 ft (3,895 m) NAVD 88[1]
Prominence1,093 ft (333 m)[1]
Parent peakMount Dana[2]
Listing
Coordinates37°52′38″N 119°12′43″W / 37.8771495°N 119.2118164°W / 37.8771495; -119.2118164[5]
Geography
Mount Gibbs is located in California
Mount Gibbs
Mount Gibbs
Mount Gibbs is located in the United States
Mount Gibbs
Mount Gibbs
LocationMono and Tuolumne counties, California, U.S.
Parent rangeSierra Nevada
Topo mapUSGS Mount Dana
Geology
Age of rockCretaceous
Mountain typeMetamorphic rock
Climbing
First ascent1864 by Frederick Law Olmsted and William Henry Brewer on horseback[6]
Easiest routeCross-country hike, class 1[6]

Mount Gibbs is located in the Sierra Nevada of the U.S. state of California, 2.6 miles (4 km) south of Mount Dana. The mountain was named in honor of Oliver Gibbs, a professor at Harvard University and friend of Josiah Whitney.[7] The summit marks the boundary between Yosemite National Park and the Ansel Adams Wilderness, and Mount Gibbs is the sixth-highest mountain, of Yosemite.[8][9]

The peak is accessible either from the west, starting at Tioga Pass Road, or from the east, via Bloody Canyon from the trailhead at Walker Lake. Overnight camping is not permitted on the western side of the mountain, which is part of the protected watershed of Dana Meadows and Tioga Pass. In the summer the mountain has only patchy snow, on the northern slope. The easiest ascent is via the ridge extending west from the peak; there is a steep section of loose, unstable rock, leading to the gentle ridge that forms the top of the mountain. Although the top is above the tree line, there is some sparse plant life, including wildflowers. The view of Mono Lake from the summit is partially obstructed by an outcropping to the northeast.

A partial panorama from the summit of Mt. Gibbs. The western ridge of Mount Gibbs is in the foreground at the ridge edge of the photo.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Mount Gibbs, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  2. ^ "Mount Gibbs". ListsOfJohn.com. Retrieved 2011-06-15.
  3. ^ "Sierra Peaks Section List" (PDF). Angeles Chapter, Sierra Club. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
  4. ^ "Western States Climbers Qualifying Peak List". Climber.org. Retrieved 2016-03-27.
  5. ^ "Mount Gibbs". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  6. ^ a b Secor, R.J. (2009). The High Sierra Peaks, Passes, and Trails (3rd ed.). Seattle: The Mountaineers. p. 397. ISBN 978-0898869712.
  7. ^ Farquhar, Francis P. (1926). Place Names of the High Sierra. San Francisco: Sierra Club. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  8. ^ Kelliher, Mat. "Yosemite NP Peaks". peakbagger.com. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  9. ^ Mrchad9. "Yosemite's Highest Peaks". summitpost.org. Retrieved 24 March 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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