Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 19, 2026

Cathedral Range

The Cathedral Range is a mountain range immediately to the south of Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park. The range is an offshoot of the Sierra Nevada. The range is named after Cathedral Peak, which resembles a cathedral spire.

Last revised
Jul 19, 2026
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Citations
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Source
Cathedral Range
Cathedral Range from the summit of Fairview Dome. From L-R: Unicorn Peak, Cockscomb, Echo Ridge and Cathedral Peak.
Highest point
PeakMount Florence
Elevation12,561 ft (3,829 m)1
Dimensions
Length10 mi (16 km)
Geography
Cathedral Range
Location of Cathedral Range in California
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Cathedral Range
Cathedral Range (the United States)
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Country
United States
State
California
Counties
Madera, Tuolumne, and Mariposa
Range coordinates
37°44′22″N 119°16′19″W / 37.7393751°N 119.2718135°W / 37.7393751; -119.27181352
Parent rangeSierra Nevada (U.S.)
Topo mapUSGS Mount Lyell

The Cathedral Range is a mountain range immediately to the south of Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park. The range is an offshoot of the Sierra Nevada. The range is named after Cathedral Peak, which resembles a cathedral spire.

Geography

The range includes Cathedral Peak, Unicorn Peak, Eichorn Pinnacle, Echo Peaks, Echo Ridge, Matthes Crest, Rafferty Peak, Vogelsang Peak, Fletcher Peak and Cockscomb.3 The highest point in the range is Mount Florence, one of the most prominent peaks in the Yosemite high country. The highest peak in Tuolumne Meadows is Johnson Peak.

The range runs beside the two Cathedral Lakes, just one mile southwest of Cathedral Peak. Hikers can access the lakes and Cathedral range by the John Muir trail from the trailhead in Tuolumne Meadows.

Geology

The mountains were formed by glaciers carving out the granite material; also see Cathedral Peak Granodiorite. The tops of the peaks in the range were above the level of the highest glaciation, and are therefore un-eroded and distinctly spire-like;4 see nunatak.

The Cathedral Range from Gaylor Lakes basin source ↗
References

References

  1. "Cathedral Range". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
  2. "Cathedral Range". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved May 3, 2009.
  3. Burd, Bob (September 25, 2003). "Unicorn Peak". Summit Post. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
  4. Matthes, François E. (1930). Glacial History of the Yosemite Valley. USGS. Professional Paper 160.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)