| Mount Watkins | |
| Elevation Ft: | 8497 |
| Elevation Ref: | [1] |
| Prominence Ft: | 266 |
| Isolation Mi: | 1.86 |
| Isolation Ref: | [2] |
| Parent Peak: | Mount Hoffmann (10,855 ft) |
| Etymology: | Carleton Watkins |
| Map: | California#USA |
| Map Size: | 260 |
| Label Position: | bottom |
| Country: | United States |
| State: | California |
| Region: | Mariposa |
| Region Type: | County |
| Part Type: | Protected area |
| Part: | Yosemite National Park |
| Range: | Sierra Nevada |
| Coordinates: | 37.7828°N -119.5176°W |
| Coordinates Ref: | [3] |
| Topo: | USGS Yosemite Falls |
| Rock: | Granodiorite |
| Type: | Fault block |
| Age: | Cretaceous |
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.
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 2700abbr=offNaNabbr=off above Tenaya Canyon in less than 1miles. 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.
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]
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:
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.