Middle Cathedral Rock
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Middle Cathedral Rock rises to 1,990 m in California. Mount Clark stands 3,512 m to the east, 12 miles off. The nearest named place is Higher Cathedral Rock, a peak 0.1 miles away. Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat Road passes 7.0 miles off.
The story
The Middle Cathedral Rock is a prominent rock face on the south side of Yosemite Valley, California. El Capitan lies due north of Middle Cathedral. Middle Cathedral's East Buttress Route is recognized in the historic climbing text Fifty Classic Climbs of North America.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q6841259, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 1,990 m
How to reach it
- 7.0 mi off the Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat Road, National
Overlooks nearby
- Viewpoint for Giant Sequoias · 10 mi
- View on Tenaya Lake · 11 mi
- Lembert Dome · 20 mi
- Disappearing Meadows · 22 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Higher Cathedral Rock: 0.1 mi
- Higher Cathedral Spire: 0.3 mi
- Lower Cathedral Spire: 0.4 mi
- Lower Cathedral Rock: 0.4 mi
- Church Tower: 0.4 mi
- Bridalveil Fall: 0.5 mi
- Horsetail Fall: 1.2 mi
- Ribbon Fall: 1.5 mi
- Silver Strand Falls: 1.9 mi
- Sentinel Fall: 2.3 mi
- Yosemite Museum & Library: 3.5 mi
- Indian Village: 3.5 mi
- Yosemite Exploration Center: 3.6 mi
- Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center: 3.6 mi
- Ansel Adams residence: 3.6 mi
- Valley View Yosemite (Sunset Spot): 1.7 mi
- Indian Arch: 6.2 mi
- Yosemite Valley Railroad Caboose Number 15: 8.6 mi
- Hetch Hetchy Railroad Number 6: 8.6 mi
- Tunnel Tree: 9.9 mi
- Moss Spring: 1.2 mi
- Black Spring: 1.3 mi
- Fern Spring: 1.5 mi
- Iron Spring: 5.0 mi
- Barrel Spring: 8.5 mi
- Rockslides: 1.5 mi
- Profile Cliff: 1.8 mi
- The Fissures: 1.9 mi
- Fireplace Bluffs: 2.8 mi
- Glacier Point: 3.6 mi
- Cathedral Beach Picnic Area: 0.8 mi
- El Capitan Picnic Area: 1.2 mi
- Swinging Bridge Picnic Area: 2.5 mi
- Summit Meadow: 3.0 mi
- Red Bud Picnic Area: 10.5 mi
- World Heritage Site: 3.6 mi
- Foster Curry Cabin: 3.9 mi
- Women's Club Building: 4.0 mi
- Mt Buckingham School (historic): 17.5 mi
- Soda Springs Cabin: 18.6 mi
- El Portal Park: 8.6 mi
- Midpines Park: 20.2 mi
- Ahwahnee Hills Regional Park: 23.7 mi
- Mariposa Art Park: 24.0 mi
- Wassama Roundhouse State Historic Park: 24.0 mi
- Yosemite National Park: 10.0 mi
- Nelder Grove Historical Area: 20.0 mi
- Benson Lake Beach: 21.9 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 11.5 miles of Middle Cathedral Rock. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Clark | E 97° | 3,512 m | 11.5 mi |
| Mount Hoffmann | NE 37° | 3,308 m | 11.4 mi |
| Clouds Rest | ENE 66° | 3,028 m | 8.9 mi |
| Mount Bruce | SE 136° | 2,964 m | 11.4 mi |
| Buena Vista Peak | SE 142° | 2,956 m | 10.7 mi |
| The Pinnacles | ENE 68° | 2,885 m | 8.5 mi |
| Mount Starr King | E 98° | 2,767 m | 6.6 mi |
| Half Dome | ENE 70° | 2,694 m | 6.1 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:03 | 18:36 | 19:11 |
| June solstice | 05:38 | 19:45 | 20:24 |
| September equinox | 06:47 | 18:22 | 18:57 |
| December solstice | 07:11 | 16:03 | 16:44 |
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, 4 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.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/8753468082
Day trips start here
- Sierra Nevada · 4 mi
- Yosemite National Park · 5 mi
Take the scenic way to Middle Cathedral Rock.
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