Mount Clark (California) should not be confused with Clark Mountain (California).
| Mount Clark | |
| Elevation Ft: | 11527 |
| Elevation Ref: | [1] |
| Prominence Ft: | 722 |
| Parent Peak: | Gray Peak (11,573 ft)[2] |
| Map: | California#USA |
| Map Size: | 230 |
| Label Position: | bottom |
| Location: | Yosemite National Park Mariposa County, California, U.S. |
| Range: | Clark Range, Sierra Nevada |
| Coordinates: | 37.6963°N -119.4285°W |
| Coordinates Ref: | [3] |
| Topo: | USGS Merced Peak |
| First Ascent: | 1866 by Clarence King and James T. Gardiner[4] |
| Easiest Route: | Rock climb, [5] |
Mount Clark is a 115270NaN0 granite peak in the Clark Range, a sub-range of the Sierra Nevada. It is a popular destination for mountaineers.
Both the mountain and the range are named in honor of Galen Clark, an early explorer and the first guardian of Yosemite National Park.[6] It was summited in 1866 by Clarence King and James Gardener of the US Geological Survey.[7] Before it received its present name, it was known as Gothic Peak and then The Obelisk, the name used by the Whitney Survey.[8] Obelisk Lake, at lies on the mountain's northeast flank.
Mount Clark is located in an alpine climate zone.[9] 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.