| Forsyth Peak | |
| Elevation Ft: | 11177 |
| Elevation Ref: | [1] |
| Prominence Ft: | 1077 |
| Prominence Ref: | [2] |
| Isolation Mi: | 2.0 |
| Parent Peak: | Tower Peak (11,755 ft) |
| Etymology: | William W. Forsyth[3] |
| Map: | California#USA |
| Map Size: | 250 |
| Label Position: | bottom |
| Country: | United States |
| State: | California |
| Region: | Tuolumne |
| Region Type: | County |
| Part Type: | Protected area |
| Part: | Yosemite National Park |
| Range: | Sierra Nevada |
| Coordinates: | 38.1575°N -119.5809°W |
| Coordinates Ref: | [4] |
| Topo: | USGS Tower Peak |
| Type: | Fault block |
| Rock: | Granitic |
| Age: | Cretaceous |
| First Ascent: | 1937 |
Forsyth Peak is an 11,177-foot-elevation (3,407 meter) mountain summit located in Tuolumne County, California, United States.
Forsyth Peak is situated in the Sierra Nevada mountain range at the northern end of Yosemite National Park. The mountain rises 1.25miles south of Dorothy Lake and 2miles west-northwest of Tower Peak which is the nearest higher neighbor. Precipitation runoff from this landform drains into headwaters of Falls Creek which is a tributary of the Tuolumne River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 2300abbr=offNaNabbr=off above Jack Main Canyon in 1.4miles. Access to the mountain is via the nearby Pacific Crest Trail and the peak can be ascended from the south or west slopes.
This mountain's toponym was officially adopted in 1932 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to honor Colonel William Woods Forsyth (1856–1933), United States Army, acting military superintendent of Yosemite Park (1909–1912).[5] [6] The US Army had jurisdiction over Yosemite National Park from 1891 to 1914, and each summer 150 cavalrymen traveled from the Presidio of San Francisco to patrol the park.
The first ascent of the summit was made on July 10, 1937, by Leon Casou, Arthur Evans, Don Hersey, Paul Hersey, Rene Kast, A. I. Teakle, and Harry Tenney Jr.[7] The north ridge was first climbed August 23, 1953, by Ken Hondsinger, Le Roy Johnson, and Fred Schaub.
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Forsyth Peak is located in an alpine climate zone.[8] Most weather fronts originate in the Pacific Ocean and travel east toward the Sierra Nevada mountains. As fronts approach, they are forced upward by the peaks (orographic lift), causing them to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snowfall onto the range.