Virginia Peak is a mountain summit in the northern part of Yosemite National Park, north of Tuolumne Meadows. It is the 25th-highest mountain in Yosemite National Park.[2]
Virginia Peak | |
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![]() East aspect (centered), from Black Mountain | |
Highest point | |
Elevation | 12,002 ft (3,658 m) NAVD 88[1] |
Prominence | 481 ft (147 m)[1] |
Coordinates | 38°3′57″N 119°21′29″W[1] |
Geography | |
![]() ![]() Virginia Peak Virginia Peak Show map of California![]() ![]() Virginia Peak Virginia Peak (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
Location | Yosemite National Park Tuolumne County, California, U.S. |
Parent range | Sierra Nevada |
Topo map | USGS Dunderberg Peak |
Climbing | |
Easiest route | class 2 to class 3 |
Virginia Peak is in northeastern Yosemite National Park, on a north–south ridge splitting off the main Sierra crest at Twin Peaks.
Virginia Pass and Sawtooth Ridge are near, as are Whorl Mountain, Excelsior Mountain and Matterhorn Peak.[3]
Near Virginia Pass, viewed from the east, Virginia Peak looks dark, forbidding — it is not composed of more-common Yosemite granite, but of reddish metamorphic rock, such as is found on Mount Dana and Dunderberg Peak.[4] Of note, Virginia Peak is along the ancient boundary between the Sierra Nevada Batholith's intruding granite and pre-existing sediments, which are now metamorphosed, so-called metasediments.[5]
Virginia Peak is located in an alpine climate zone.[6] 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.[citation needed]
Places adjacent to Virginia Peak (Yosemite) | ||||||||||||||||
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