Altar of Sacrifice
{{Short description|Sandstone mountain in the state of Utah}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Altar of Sacrifice
| photo = Altar of Sacrifice, Zion.jpg
| photo_caption = Altar of Sacrifice, east aspect
| elevation_ft = 7505
| elevation_ref = {{cite peakbagger|3844|The Altar of Sacrifice, Utah}}
| prominence_ft = 585
| isolation_mi = 0.74
| isolation_ref = {{cite web|url=https://listsofjohn.com/peak/20526|title=Altar of Sacrifice - 7,505' UT|website=listsofjohn.com|accessdate=2020-09-05}}
| range = Colorado Plateau
| parent_peak = The Sundial (7,590 ft)
| listing = Mountains of Utah
| part_type = Protected area | part = Zion National Park
| country = United States
| state = Utah
| region = Washington
| region_type = County
| map = USA Utah#USA
| map_caption = Location in Utah
| map_size = 230
| label_position = top
| coordinates = {{coord|37.225934|N|113.019858|W|type:mountain_region:US-UT_scale:100000_source:GNIS|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| topo = USGS Springdale West
| rock = Navajo sandstone
| age = Jurassic
| first_ascent =
| easiest_route = {{YDS|5+}} climbing
|fetchwikidata=ALL
}}
Altar of Sacrifice is a {{convert|7505|ft|m|adj=on}} Navajo Sandstone mountain in Zion National Park in Washington County, Utah, United States,{{gnis|1438181|Altar of Sacrifice}} that is part of the Towers of the Virgin.
Description
Altar of Sacrifice is situated {{convert|2.5|mi|km|abbr=on}} west-northwest of Zion's park headquarters, towering {{convert|3500|ft|m}} above the floor of Zion Canyon and the Virgin River which drains precipitation runoff from this mountain. Its nearest higher neighbor is The West Temple, {{convert|1|mi|km|spell=in}} to the south. Other neighbors include The Witch Head, Meridian Tower, Bee Hive, The Sentinel, Mount Spry, Bridge Mountain, and Mount Kinesava.
Etymology and naming
Altar of Sacrifice, The Great White Throne, and Angels Landing were named by Methodist Minister Frederick Vining Fisher from Ogden during a visit to Zion Canyon in 1916.A History of Southern Utah and Its National Parks, Angus M. Woodbury (Utah State Historical Society, Vol XII Nos. 3–4, July–October 1944; revised and reprinted, 1950: pages 198-199 {{OCLC|4084746}}) This feature's name gained its appropriateness from dark red stains caused by hematite (iron oxide) that appear on the face of the east wall, as though great quantities of blood had been spilled from the top. Altar of Sacrifice's name was officially adopted in 1934 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.
Climate
Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit Altar of Sacrifice. According to the Köppen climate classification system, it is located in a Cold semi-arid climate zone, which is defined by the coldest month having an average mean temperature below 32 °F (0 °C), and at least 50% of the total annual precipitation being received during the spring and summer. This desert climate receives less than {{convert|10|in|mm|abbr=off|sp=us}} of annual rainfall, and snowfall is generally light during the winter.{{cite web |url=https://www.weather-us.com/en/utah-usa/zion-national-park-climate |title=Zion National Park, Utah, USA - Monthly weather forecast and Climate data |publisher=Weather Atlas |access-date=31 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190127152638/https://www.weather-us.com/en/utah-usa/zion-national-park-climate |archive-date=January 27, 2019|url-status=live}}
Gallery
File:Classic Zion (23864216807).jpg|The West Temple (left), The Sundial, The Witch Head, Altar of Sacrifice (right)
File:The West Temple (left) with the Towers of the Virgin.jpg|The West Temple (left), Altar of Sacrifice (right)
File:Zion N.P., Altar of Sacrifice 5-2-14 (14287946887).jpg
File:Sunrise, Altar of Sacrifice, Zion.jpg
File:Towers of the Virgin.jpg|Towers of the Virgin. Left to rightː The Sundial, The Witch Head, Broken Tooth, Rotten Tooth, Altar of Sacrifice (upper right).
File:Altar of Sacrifice from The Watchman.jpg|Altar of Sacrifice (centered) seen from summit of The Watchman
File:The Witch Head, Alter of Sacrifice.jpg|The Witch Head, Broken Tooth, Rotten Tooth, Altar of Sacrifice
File:Altar of Sacrifice.jpg
See also
{{stack|{{portal|Mountains|Utah}}}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|Altar of Sacrifice (Zion National Park)}}
- [https://www.nps.gov/zion/index.htm Zion National Park] National Park Service
- Altar of Sacrifice weather: [https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lon=-113.019858&lat=37.225934#.X1QFyOeSmUm National Weather Service]
- [https://www.nps.gov/media/webcam/view.htm?id=A4068FB2-DB05-82B5-F242852BBAA0A971 Web cam]
{{authority control}}
Category:Mountains of Washington County, Utah
Category:Sandstone formations of the United States