Madera Peak

Madera Peak is a 10,509-foot-elevation (3,203 meter) mountain summit located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Madera County, California, United States. It is situated in the Ansel Adams Wilderness on land managed by Sierra National Forest. Madera Peak is the southernmost summit of an ancient ridge from which the Clark Range formed. The mountain is set 2.2 miles (3.5 km) south-southeast of Gale Peak, and topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 1,600 feet (490 meters) above Lady Lake in 0.38 miles (0.61 km). Precipitation runoff from this landform drains into tributaries of the San Joaquin River.

Madera Peak
North aspect, centered
Highest point
Elevation10,509 ft (3,203 m)[1]
Prominence629 ft (192 m)[2]
Parent peakSing Peak (10,540 ft)[3]
Isolation1.33 mi (2.14 km)[3]
Coordinates37°32′15″N 119°22′29″W[4]
Geography
Madera Peak is located in California
Madera Peak
Madera Peak
Location in California
Madera Peak is located in the United States
Madera Peak
Madera Peak
Madera Peak (the United States)
LocationMadera County, California, U.S.
Parent rangeSierra Nevada
Topo mapUSGS Timber Knob
Geology
Age of rockCretaceous
Mountain typeFault block
Type of rockMetamorphic rock, Granodiorite
Climbing
First ascentUnknown
Easiest routeclass 2 from southwest[5]

History

This geographical feature was originally named "Black Peak", but the Madera County Chamber of Commerce petitioned for the name to be changed to perpetuate the name of the county, thus the "Madera Peak" toponym was officially adopted in 1932 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.[4] Madera County derived its name from the town of Madera, which in turn was laid out by the California Lumber Company in 1876.[6] "Madera" is the Spanish language word for "wood".

The first ascent of the peak is unknown, however a cairn without a record was found on the summit in August 1931 by Hermina Daulton, Mr. and Mrs. Garthwaite and their seven-year-old son, Ted.[7]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Madera Peak is located in an alpine climate zone.[8] 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.

  • View from summit of Madera Peak looking southeast.
    View from summit of Madera Peak looking southeast.
  • Northeast aspect of Madera Peak (upper right corner) from Vandeburg Lake.
    Northeast aspect of Madera Peak (upper right corner) from Vandeburg Lake.

See also

References
  1. R.J. Secor (2009), The High Sierra: Peaks, Passes, Trails, Mountaineers Books, ISBN 9781594857386, p. 312
  2. "Madera Peak, California". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2022-06-23.
  3. "Madera Peak - 10,509' CA". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2022-06-23.
  4. "Madera Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2022-06-23.
  5. Steve Roper (1976), The Climber's Guide to the High Sierra, Sierra Club Books, p. 103
  6. Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, Calif.: Word Dancer Press. p. 798. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.
  7. Richard M. Leonard, Climber’s Guide to the High Sierra (1954)
  8. "Climate of the Sierra Nevada". Encyclopædia Britannica.
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