Merced Peak
Merced Peak rises to 3,575 m in California. Mount Ritter stands 4,007 m to the east-northeast, 11 miles off. The nearest named place is Ottoway Peak, a peak 0.5 miles away. Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat Road passes 13 miles off.
The story
Merced Peak, with an elevation of 11,731 feet (3,576 m), is the highest point in the Clark Range, just surpassing three other peaks; Red Peak (11,704 feet), Gray Peak (11,578 feet), and Mount Clark (11,527 feet). Merced Peak is located close to southern border of Yosemite National Park, near the Ottoway Lakes. The summit can be approached from the Quartz Mountain Trailhead over Chiquito pass or from one of two trailheads on the road to Glacier Point. In 1871, influential Scottish-American naturalist John Muir discovered an active alpine glacier below Merced Peak, which helped his theory that Yosemite Valley was formed by glacial action gain acceptance.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q6818076, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 3,575.4 m
How to reach it
- 13.1 mi off the Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat Road, National
Overlooks nearby
- View on Tenaya Lake · 13 mi
- Lembert Dome · 17 mi
- Disappearing Meadows · 18 mi
- Tioga Lake Overlook Info Site · 21 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Ottoway Peak: 0.5 mi
- Triple Divide Peak: 1.4 mi
- Red Peak: 1.5 mi
- Gray Peak: 3.0 mi
- Post Peak: 3.7 mi
- Cascade Fall: 8.4 mi
- Florence Falls: 8.6 mi
- Bunnell Cascade: 8.7 mi
- Nevada Fall: 9.8 mi
- Silver Apron: 10.2 mi
- Chetwood Cabin: 7.8 mi
- Women's Club Building: 11.9 mi
- Foster Curry Cabin: 11.9 mi
- World Heritage Site: 13.1 mi
- Soda Springs Cabin: 16.9 mi
- Swinging Bridge Picnic Area: 13.2 mi
- El Capitan Picnic Area: 13.9 mi
- Cathedral Beach Picnic Area: 14.0 mi
- Summit Meadow: 14.4 mi
- Gold Rush BBQ: 17.4 mi
- Indian Arch: 13.1 mi
- Grizzly Giant: 14.5 mi
- Mariposa Welcome Plaza: 15.7 mi
- Valley View Yosemite (Sunset Spot): 16.0 mi
- Devils Postpile: 17.0 mi
- Cascade Cliffs: 7.9 mi
- Bunnell Cliff: 8.1 mi
- Panorama Cliff: 10.5 mi
- Diving Board: 10.9 mi
- Glacier Point: 11.8 mi
- Nature Center at Happy Isles: 11.2 mi
- Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center: 12.4 mi
- Ansel Adams residence: 13.1 mi
- Yosemite Exploration Center: 13.1 mi
- Yosemite Museum & Library: 13.2 mi
- Iron Spring: 11.5 mi
- Moss Spring: 15.5 mi
- Black Spring: 15.7 mi
- Fern Spring: 15.8 mi
- Soda Springs: 16.9 mi
- Gull Lake Park: 19.8 mi
- El Portal Park: 21.6 mi
- Valentine Reserve Ecological Study Area: 21.8 mi
- Community Center Park: 22.5 mi
- Mammoth Creek Park West: 23.4 mi
- Yosemite National Park: 16.3 mi
- Nelder Grove Historical Area: 17.8 mi
- free natural hot pool: 17.6 mi
- Iva Bell Hot Springs: 21.5 mi
- Arch Rock: 14.7 mi
- June Lake Beach: 21.0 mi
- Bennettville: 22.1 mi
- Crestview Rest Area: 24.2 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 11.8 miles of Merced Peak. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Ritter | ENE 71° | 4,007 m | 11.3 mi |
| Mount Lyell | NE 43° | 3,993 m | 9.9 mi |
| Rodgers Peak | NE 50° | 3,956 m | 9.7 mi |
| Banner Peak | ENE 69° | 3,940 m | 11.7 mi |
| Mount Maclure | NE 40° | 3,933 m | 9.8 mi |
| Mount Florence | NNE 31° | 3,823 m | 8.4 mi |
| Simmons Peak | NNE 32° | 3,804 m | 10.3 mi |
| Electra Peak | ENE 57° | 3,792 m | 8.8 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:02 | 18:35 | 19:10 |
| June solstice | 05:37 | 19:44 | 20:23 |
| September equinox | 06:46 | 18:22 | 18:56 |
| December solstice | 07:10 | 16:02 | 16:43 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 38 | 41 | 45 | 50 | 58 | 66 | 73 | 73 | 67 | 56 | 44 | 37 |
| Precip in | 7.0 | 6.5 | 5.5 | 3.2 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 1.6 | 4.0 | 5.6 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Yosemite Park HQ, 13 mi away.
Inside the official boundary of Yosemite National Park. Quietest months by visitation: Jan and Feb; busiest: Aug.
NPS visitation statistics, monthly averages 2021–2025 (2020 excluded).
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidata- USGS Geographic Names Information System feature 253545 — Merced Peak, Madera County, California.
OpenStreetMap element node/358795537
Day trips start here
- Yosemite National Park · 11 mi
- Sierra Nevada · 12 mi
Take the scenic way to Merced Peak.
Byway plans around your taste, mapped places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.