| 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[3] |
| Geography | |
  Merced Peak Location in California  Merced Peak Merced Peak (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.
- ^ 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.