Mount Lyell
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Mount Lyell rises to 3,993 m in California. Mount Ritter stands 4,007 m to the southeast, 5.3 miles off. The nearest named place is Mount Maclure, a peak 0.6 miles away. Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat Road passes 9.6 miles off.
The story
Mount Lyell is the highest point in Yosemite National Park, at 13,114 feet (3,997 m). It is located at the southeast end of the Cathedral Range, 1+1⁄4 miles (2 kilometers) northwest of Rodgers Peak. The peak as well as nearby Lyell Canyon is named after Charles Lyell, a well-known 19th century geologist. The peak had one of the last remaining glaciers in Yosemite, Lyell Glacier. The Lyell Glacier is currently considered to be a permanent ice field, not a living glacier. Mount Lyell divides the Tuolumne River watershed to the north, the Merced to the west, and the Rush Creek drainage in the Mono Lake Basin to the southeast.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q2753855, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 3993 m
How to reach it
- 9.6 mi off the Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat Road, National
Overlooks nearby
- Disappearing Meadows · 10 mi
- Lembert Dome · 11 mi
- Tioga Lake Overlook Info Site · 13 mi
- View on Tenaya Lake · 13 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- Mount Maclure: 0.6 mi
- Rodgers Peak: 1.3 mi
- Simmons Peak: 1.9 mi
- Electra Peak: 2.4 mi
- Mount Florence: 2.4 mi
- Florence Falls: 4.6 mi
- Horsetail Falls: 8.0 mi
- Bunnell Cascade: 10.9 mi
- Cascade Fall: 11.4 mi
- Tenaya Creek Waterslide: 11.7 mi
- Ghost Cabin: 8.6 mi
- Chetwood Cabin: 9.7 mi
- Soda Springs Cabin: 10.9 mi
- Legend of June Lake Slot Machines: 12.1 mi
- California Historic Civil Engineering Landmark: 14.2 mi
- Soda Springs: 10.9 mi
- Hartley Springs: 12.8 mi
- Reds Meadow Hot Springs: 13.6 mi
- Iron Spring: 15.4 mi
- Big Springs: 18.1 mi
- Bunnell Cliff: 10.8 mi
- Cascade Cliffs: 11.8 mi
- The Buttresses: 13.4 mi
- Diving Board: 14.7 mi
- Panorama Cliff: 15.6 mi
- Gull Lake Park: 10.8 mi
- Community Center Park: 16.9 mi
- Valentine Reserve Ecological Study Area: 16.9 mi
- Gus Hess Community Park: 17.3 mi
- Mammoth Creek Park West: 18.1 mi
- Perched Boulder: 11.3 mi
- Devils Postpile: 12.9 mi
- Indian Arch: 15.6 mi
- Upside-Down House: 17.3 mi
- South Tufa Area: 19.4 mi
- Nature Center at Happy Isles: 15.7 mi
- Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center: 16.8 mi
- Ansel Adams residence: 17.2 mi
- Yosemite Exploration Center: 17.3 mi
- Mono Basin Historical Society: 17.3 mi
- Aerie Crag Picnic Area: 9.7 mi
- Gull Lake Picnic Area: 10.4 mi
- Minaret Vista Picnic: 12.9 mi
- Swinging Bridge Picnic Area: 17.9 mi
- El Capitan Picnic Area: 19.1 mi
- free natural hot pool: 13.7 mi
- Iva Bell Hot Springs: 19.7 mi
- Iva Bell Hot Springs: 19.7 mi
- Iva Bell Hot Springs: 19.8 mi
- Hot Spring: 22.5 mi
- June Lake Beach: 11.8 mi
- Navy Beach: 19.5 mi
- Danburg Beach: 20.4 mi
- Benson Lake Beach: 23.8 mi
- Bennettville: 13.7 mi
- Mono Mills: 19.9 mi
- Yosemite National Park: 16.3 mi
- Crestview Rest Area: 16.5 mi
- Arch Rock: 20.4 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 9.2 miles of Mount Lyell. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Ritter | SE 131° | 4,007 m | 5.3 mi |
| Kuna Peak | NE 34° | 3,958 m | 6.2 mi |
| Rodgers Peak | SE 142° | 3,956 m | 1.3 mi |
| Koip Peak | NE 37° | 3,954 m | 6.4 mi |
| Banner Peak | SE 125° | 3,940 m | 5.1 mi |
| Mount Maclure | WNW 302° | 3,933 m | 0.6 mi |
| Parker Peak | NE 43° | 3,919 m | 7.0 mi |
| Blacktop Peak | NE 48° | 3,881 m | 5.6 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:01 | 18:35 | 19:09 |
| June solstice | 05:36 | 19:44 | 20:23 |
| September equinox | 06:46 | 18:21 | 18:56 |
| December solstice | 07:10 | 16:01 | 16:42 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Jul–Aug.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 27 | 25 | 29 | 34 | 40 | 49 | 55 | 53 | 49 | 42 | 33 | 26 |
| Precip in | 6.2 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 3.1 | 4.5 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Tuolumne Meadows RS, 10 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.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/358798681
Day trips start here
- Yosemite National Park · 15 mi
- Sierra Nevada · 16 mi
- Mono Lake · 24 mi
Take the scenic way to Mount Lyell.
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