Sentinel Rock Explained

Sentinel Rock
Photo Size:	200px
Elevation Ft:	7038
Elevation Ref:	^[1]
Location:	Yosemite National Park Mariposa County, California, U.S.
Map:	California#USA
Map Size:	240
Label Position:	below
Range:	Sierra Nevada
Coordinates:	37.7288°N -119.5943°W
Coordinates Ref:	^[2]
Topo:	USGS Half Dome
Rock:	Granite
Age:	Cretaceous
First Ascent:	June 30 - July 4, 1950 by Allen Steck and John Salathé
Easiest Route:	Circular Staircase ^[3]

Sentinel Rock is a granitic peak in Yosemite National Park, California, United States. It towers over Yosemite Valley, opposite Yosemite Falls.^[4] Sentinel Rock lies 0.7miles northwest of Sentinel Dome.

Geology

Sentinel Rock formed when masses of rock split off Yosemite Valley's south-side cliff, along steep joints trending nearly east–west. This formed the near-vertical north face of Sentinel Rock.^[5]

Climbing

The most famous climbing route is the Steck-Salathé route, which is rated a A0.^[6]

Climber Derek Hersey died while attempting to free solo climb Sentinel Rock in 1993.^[7]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Natural Resource Statistics. Yosemite National Park. National Park Service. 2009-01-28.
2. 253840 . Sentinel Rock . 2009-01-28.
3. Web site: Circular Staircase, Sentinel Rock 5.8 . SuperTopo.com . 2016-03-27.
4. Web site: Rock Formations in Yosemite. Yosemite National Park. National Park Service. 2007-08-14.
5. Web site: Bedrock Geology of the Yosemite Valley Area Yosemite National Park, California. http://web.archive.org/web/20170321165731/https://geomaps.wr.usgs.gov/parks/yos/I_1639.html. 2017-03-21. USGS. Geology and National Parks. March 20, 2017.
6. Web site: Steck-Salathe . rockclimbing.com . 2014-01-20.
7. Roberts, Paul . Risk . 1994-11-01 . . 2011-07-27.