Mount Dana
{{short description|Mountain in California, United States}}
{{about|the mountain in California}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Mount Dana
| photo = File:Dana from Gaylor.jpg
| photo_caption = Mount Dana seen from Gaylor Peak.
The hike to the top goes up this west face.
| elevation_ft = 13061
| elevation_ref = {{NAVD88}}{{cite ngs |id=HR2738 |name=Mount Dana}}
| prominence_ft = 2417
| prominence_ref = {{cite peakbagger |pid=2620 |name=Mount Dana, California |accessdate=2009-08-05}}
| parent_peak = Mount Lyell{{cite loj |id=17282 |name=Mount Dana |accessdate=2012-04-01}}
| location = Mono / Tuolumne counties, California, U.S.
| range = Sierra Nevada
| coordinates = {{coord|37.899901553|N|119.2210926|W|type:mountain_region:US_scale:100000_source:NGS|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| range_coordinates =
| topo = USGS Mount Dana
| type = Metamorphic rock
| age = Cretaceous
| first_ascent = June 28, 1863 by Whitney, Brewer, and Hoffmann{{cite journal|first=Francis P.|last=Farquhar|title=Exploration of the Sierra Nevada|journal=California Historical Society Quarterly|volume=4|number=1|pages=3–58|date=March 1925|doi=10.2307/25177743 |jstor=25177743 |hdl=2027/mdp.39015049981668 |url=http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/exploration_of_the_sierra_nevada/whitney.html|hdl-access=free}}
| easiest_route = Hike, {{YDS|1}}{{cite Secor |edition=3 |pages=397f}}
| listing = California highest major peaks 18th
}}
Mount Dana is a mountain in the U.S. state of California. Its summit marks the eastern boundary of Yosemite National Park and the western boundary of the Ansel Adams Wilderness. At an elevation of {{convert|13061|ft|m|0}}, it is the second highest mountain in Yosemite (after Mount Lyell), and the northernmost summit in the Sierra Nevada which is over {{convert|13000|ft|meters|1|abbr=}} in elevation. Mount Dana is the highest peak in Yosemite that accessible to summit. The mountain is named in honor of James Dwight Dana, who was a professor of natural history and geology at Yale.{{cite book |last=Browning |first=Peter |title=Place Names of the Sierra Nevada |publisher=Wilderness Press |year=1986 |location=Berkeley |page=[https://archive.org/details/placenamesofsier00brow/page/51 51] |isbn=0899971199 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/placenamesofsier00brow/page/51 }}
Mount Dana is composed of prebatholithic rock that is mostly reddish metamorphic rock, which was composed by metavolcanics of surfacing magma from the Mesozoic Era.{{cite web |date=September 20, 2002 |url=http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/LivingWith/VolcanicPast/Places/volcanic_past_yosemite.html |title=America's Volcanic Past - Yosemite National Park |publisher=USGS/Cascades Volcano Observatory |accessdate=July 11, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060516150226/http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/LivingWith/VolcanicPast/Places/volcanic_past_yosemite.html |archive-date=May 16, 2006 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://www.sonoma.edu/users/c/cannon/bio314chapter4_part2.html |title=Biology 314 — Sierra Nevada |pages=69–94 |publisher=Sonoma State University |accessdate = 2006-07-08}}
Mount Dana's northern face includes a small, receding glacier known as the Dana Glacier. The Dana Meadows lie at the foot of the mountain. From the top, lakes throughout Dana Meadows, Mono Lake, Tioga Peak and many other mountains are in view.
Hike
From the Tioga Pass Road there are many easy routes. ({{YDS|1}}), available that lead to the summit along the mountain's western or southern slopes. These routes rise {{convert|3108|ft|m|0}} in elevation in {{convert|2.9|mi|km|1}}, (a 20.3% average grade). The trail is not frequently maintained.
There is a clearly marked path leading just above tree line. After topping a ridge, a set of use-paths and ducked routes are present, with the main path running along the easterly ridgeline. Additionally, numerous alternate trail segments begin and end at various points on the southwestern face, making parts of this hike a difficult class 2. The path segments turn into scree toward the summit, where a shallow stone-walled shelter and register are found. Significant snow fields on the mountain slopes can exist late into the summer season. Total round trip hiking time can be anywhere between 3 and 12 hours depending many factors, such as acclimatization to elevation.
After reaching a plateau above the tree line, most vegetation disappears with the exception of lichen and a few high alpine plants such as Sky Pilot (Polemonium eximium). Fauna are largely limited to spiders and insects, such as black/brown grasshoppers. The only mammals other than humans are American Pikas (which are lagomorphs, related to rabbits) and marmots.
Thunderstorms are known to arise suddenly, making the rocks slippery, and the hiking dangerous year round.
Even experienced hikers can face altitude sickness, due to the high elevation.{{cite journal |author1=Cymerman, A |author2=Rock, PB |title=Medical Problems in High Mountain Environments. A Handbook for Medical Officers |publisher=US Army Research Inst. of Environmental Medicine Thermal and Mountain Medicine Division Technical Report |volume=USARIEM-TN94-2 |url=http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/7976 |accessdate=2009-03-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090423042510/http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/7976 |archive-date=2009-04-23 |url-status=usurped }}
In the summer of 2009, an NPS employee died after falling on a technical rock climbing route on the northeast face of Mount Dana.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}
Climate
{{Weather box
|location = Mount Dana 37.9018 N, 119.2233 W, Elevation: {{cvt|12385|ft}} (1991–2020 normals)
|single line = y
|Jan high F = 28.5
|Feb high F = 26.9
|Mar high F = 29.4
|Apr high F = 33.6
|May high F = 41.3
|Jun high F = 51.2
|Jul high F = 59.2
|Aug high F = 58.5
|Sep high F = 53.0
|Oct high F = 44.2
|Nov high F = 34.6
|Dec high F = 28.5
|Jan mean F = 19.0
|Feb mean F = 17.0
|Mar mean F = 19.0
|Apr mean F = 22.1
|May mean F = 29.1
|Jun mean F = 38.4
|Jul mean F = 45.6
|Aug mean F = 44.9
|Sep mean F = 39.6
|Oct mean F = 32.0
|Nov mean F = 24.6
|Dec mean F = 19.2
|Jan low F = 9.6
|Feb low F = 7.0
|Mar low F = 8.7
|Apr low F = 10.6
|May low F = 16.8
|Jun low F = 25.6
|Jul low F = 32.0
|Aug low F = 31.2
|Sep low F = 26.3
|Oct low F = 19.9
|Nov low F = 14.5
|Dec low F = 10.0
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 10.83
|Feb precipitation inch = 9.58
|Mar precipitation inch = 8.50
|Apr precipitation inch = 4.66
|May precipitation inch = 2.49
|Jun precipitation inch = 0.62
|Jul precipitation inch = 0.66
|Aug precipitation inch = 0.53
|Sep precipitation inch = 0.49
|Oct precipitation inch = 2.72
|Nov precipitation inch = 3.98
|Dec precipitation inch = 9.32
|source=PRISM Climate Group{{cite web
|url= http://prism.oregonstate.edu/explorer/
|title= PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University
|publisher= PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University
|access-date= October 6, 2023
|quote= To find the table data on the PRISM website, start by clicking Coordinates (under Location); copy Latitude and Longitude figures from top of table; click Zoom to location; click Precipitation, Minimum temp, Mean temp, Maximum temp; click 30-year normals, 1991-2020; click 800m; click Retrieve Time Series button.}}
}}
== Gallery ==
{{Panorama|image=File:Mount Dana Yosemite Lake.jpg|height=175|caption=Panoramic Photograph of Mount Dana, Yosemite National Park taken from Tioga Pass Park Entrance|align=center}}
{{Panorama |image=File:Mount Dana Panorama.jpg |height=175 |caption=The view from the summit encompasses much of Yosemite National Park and Mono Lake}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons and category|Mount Dana}}
- {{cite summitpost |id=150284 |name=Mount Dana}}
{{Sierra Nevada}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dana, Mount}}
Category:Mountains of Yosemite National Park
Category:Mountains of the Ansel Adams Wilderness
Category:Mountains of Mono County, California