Unicorn Peak
Unicorn Peak rises to 3,299 m in California. Parsons Peak stands 3,699 m to the southeast, 6.2 miles off. The nearest named place is Cockscomb, a peak 0.7 miles away. Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat Road passes 1.9 miles off. 170 named places lie within 25 miles, 51 of them named summits.
The story
Unicorn Peak is a peak, in Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park. Unicorn Peak is due east of Cathedral Peak, and the north summit is highest. Unicorn Peak is part of the Cathedral Range. All three of Unicorn Peak, Cockscomb Peak, and Cathedral Peak qualify as nunataks, islands that stood above the ice, when the last ice age created glaciers in the area. During the Tioga glaciation the peak projected above the glaciers, which carved and sharpened the peak's bases while plucking away at its sides.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q27510721, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 3,299 m
How to reach it
- 1.9 mi off the Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat Road, National
Overlooks nearby
- Lembert Dome · 3 mi
- Disappearing Meadows · 6 mi
- View on Tenaya Lake · 6 mi
- Tioga Lake Overlook Info Site · 9 mi
170 named places within 25 miles
- Cockscomb: 0.7 mi
- Cathedral Peak: 1.3 mi
- Eichorn Pinnacle: 1.4 mi
- Echo Peak #2.5: 1.5 mi
- Johnson Peak: 1.9 mi
- Tuolumne Falls: 4.6 mi
- White Cascade: 4.8 mi
- Tenaya Creek Waterslide: 5.5 mi
- California Falls: 5.8 mi
- Florence Falls: 6.5 mi
- Soda Springs Cabin: 2.4 mi
- Ghost Cabin: 8.5 mi
- California Historic Civil Engineering Landmark: 10.7 mi
- Women's Club Building: 12.7 mi
- Foster Curry Cabin: 12.8 mi
- Bunnell Cliff: 8.9 mi
- Cascade Cliffs: 10.3 mi
- Diving Board: 11.2 mi
- Dore Cliff: 12.0 mi
- Castle Cliffs: 12.8 mi
- Soda Springs: 2.4 mi
- Iron Spring: 11.7 mi
- Jordan Spring: 17.3 mi
- Black Spring: 17.5 mi
- Moss Spring: 17.6 mi
- Indian Arch: 10.5 mi
- Upside-Down House: 16.3 mi
- Perched Boulder: 17.4 mi
- Valley View Yosemite (Sunset Spot): 18.1 mi
- South Tufa Area: 20.4 mi
- Nature Center at Happy Isles: 12.5 mi
- Ansel Adams residence: 13.0 mi
- Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center: 13.0 mi
- Yosemite Exploration Center: 13.1 mi
- Indian Village: 13.1 mi
- Swinging Bridge Picnic Area: 14.1 mi
- Aerie Crag Picnic Area: 15.0 mi
- El Capitan Picnic Area: 15.4 mi
- Cathedral Beach Picnic Area: 15.8 mi
- Gull Lake Picnic Area: 16.9 mi
- Bennettville: 9.2 mi
- Dunderberg Mill: 19.2 mi
- Mono Mills: 23.2 mi
- Dog Town: 24.6 mi
- Benson Lake Beach: 14.3 mi
- June Lake Beach: 17.5 mi
- Danburg Beach: 17.8 mi
- Navy Beach: 20.7 mi
- Gus Hess Community Park: 16.3 mi
- Gull Lake Park: 17.1 mi
- Mono Lake Park: 17.6 mi
- Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area: 19.0 mi
- Yosemite National Park: 8.8 mi
- free natural hot pool: 23.0 mi
- Crestview Rest Area: 23.9 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of Unicorn Peak. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parsons Peak | SE 139° | 3,699 m | 6.2 mi |
| Mammoth Peak | E 84° | 3,685 m | 6.5 mi |
| Amelia Earhart Peak | SE 129° | 3,648 m | 6.6 mi |
| Vogelsang Peak | SSE 159° | 3,488 m | 5.0 mi |
| Fletcher Peak | SE 146° | 3,477 m | 4.5 mi |
| Choo-Choo Mountain | SSE 162° | 3,452 m | 3.2 mi |
| Rafferty Peak | SE 146° | 3,382 m | 2.5 mi |
| Cockscomb | SSW 192° | 3,369 m | 0.7 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:02 | 18:35 | 19:10 |
| June solstice | 05:36 | 19:45 | 20:24 |
| September equinox | 06:46 | 18:21 | 18:56 |
| December solstice | 07:10 | 16:01 | 16:43 |
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, 3 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 1660074 — Unicorn Peak, Tuolumne County, California.
OpenStreetMap element node/358807653
Day trips start here
- Yosemite National Park · 12 mi
- Sierra Nevada · 13 mi
- Mono Lake · 23 mi
Take the scenic way to Unicorn Peak.
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