Queen Victoria Rock

{{Infobox mountain

| name = Queen Victoria Rock

| photo = Queen Victoria Rock.jpg

| photo_caption = West aspect

| elevation_ft = 4780.

| elevation_ref ={{cite gnis|id=1436188|name=Queen Victoria Rock|access-date=2024-10-08}}

| prominence_ft = 120.

| prominence_ref ={{cite web|url=https://listsofjohn.com/peak/24202|title=Queen Victoria Rock - 4,820' UT|website=listsofjohn.com|accessdate=2024-09-14}}

| isolation_mi = 0.39

| isolation_ref =

| etymology = Queen Victoria

| map = Utah#USA

| map_caption = Location in Utah

| country = United States

| state = Utah

| region = Grand

| region_type = County

| part_type = Protected area | part = Arches National Park

| range = Colorado Plateau

| coordinates = {{coord|38.62750|N|109.5990|W|type:mountain_region:US-UT_scale:100000_source:gnis|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

| coordinates_ref =

| topo = USGS The Windows Section

| first_ascent = 1986

| rock = Entrada Sandstone

| age = Jurassic

| easiest_route =

}}

Queen Victoria Rock is a {{convert|4780.|ft|meter|adj=mid|-elevation|abbr=off|sp=us}} pillar in Grand County, Utah, United States.

Description

Queen Victoria Rock is located within Arches National Park and like many of the rock formations in the park, it is composed of Entrada Sandstone, specifically the Slick Rock Member overlaying the Dewey Bridge Member.Stanley William Lohman, The Geologic Story of Arches National Park, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1975, p. 63. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises {{convert|400.|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} above the Park Avenue Trail in {{convert|250.|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} laterally. Precipitation runoff from Queen Victoria Rock drains to the nearby Colorado River via Courthouse Wash. This landform's descriptive toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names, and is so named because the feature resembles the profile of Queen Victoria sitting on a chair, although it may look more like Whistler's Mother.Secrets of the National Parks: The Experts' Guide to the Best Experiences Beyond the Tourist Trail, Mel White, National Geographic Society (U. S.), National Geographic Books, 2013, {{ISBN|9781426210150}}, p. 113. The first ascent of the summit was made in November 1986 by Charlie Fowler and Dan Grandusky via Dusty Shadows rock-climbing route (III, A-2+).[https://www.deserttowersbook.com/first-ascent-timeline First Ascent Timeline], deserttowersbook.com, Retrieved 2024-09-14. Charlie Fowler and Alison Sheets also climbed the route, Queen For A Day, rated (I, A-2).[https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12198707000/Desert-Climbing Desert Climbing], Eric Bjørnstad, American Alpine Journal, 1987, americanalpineclub.org

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Queen Victoria Rock is located in a cold semi-arid climate zone with cold winters and hot summers.{{cite journal | author = Peel, M. C. |author2=Finlayson, B. L. |author3=McMahon, T. A. |name-list-style=amp | year = 2007 | title = Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification | journal = Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. | volume = 11 |issue=5 | pages = 1633–1644 |doi=10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 |bibcode=2007HESS...11.1633P |s2cid=9654551 | issn = 1027-5606|doi-access=free }} Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to experience Arches National Park, when highs average {{convert|60|to|80|F|round=5}} and lows average {{convert|30|to|50|F|round=5}}. Summer temperatures often exceed {{convert|100|F|round=5}}. Winters are cold, with highs averaging {{convert|30|to|50|F|round=5}}, and lows averaging {{convert|0|to|20|F|round=5}}. As part of a high desert region, it can experience wide daily temperature fluctuations. The park receives an average of less than 10 inches (25 cm) of rain annually.

Gallery

File:Arches11-2.png|Park Avenue with Queen Victoria Rock in upper right corner

File:Park avenue 2018.jpg|Park Avenue with Queen Victoria Rock in upper right corner

File:Park Avenue (3770177629).jpg|Queen Victoria Rock in upper left corner

File:Entrada towers of Park Avenue in Arches.jpg|Queen Victoria Rock to right. The Candelabrum furthest to left.

File:Queen Victoria 60. crownjubilee.jpg|Queen Victoria for comparison to rock

File:Queen Victoria by Roger Fenton.jpg|Queen Victoria for comparison to rock

File:Whistlers Mother high res.jpg|Whistler's Mother for comparison to rock

File:Queen Victoria Rock east side.jpg|East aspect

File:Arches info.jpg|Interpretive sign showing sandstone strata on Queen Victoria Rock

File:Park Avenue Area, Arches National Park, Utah (2408901896).jpg|Queen Victoria Rock centered in the distance

File:Arches National Park, Queen Victoria Rock.jpg|East aspect centered

File:Sandstone fin (Slickrock Member over Dewey Bridge Member, Entrada Sandstone, Middle Jurassic; Park Avenue, Arches National Park, eastern Utah, USA) 2.jpg

See also

References

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