Crystal Crag is a 10,377-foot-elevation (3,163 meter)

summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topography, topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used ...

located in the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...

mountain range in Mono County of northern

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, United States. This photogenic landmark, popular with rock climbers, is situated approximately three miles south of the community of

Mammoth Lakes Mammoth Lakes is a town in Mono County, California, and is the county's only incorporated community. It is located immediately to the east of Mammoth Mountain, at an elevation of . As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 7,191, r ...

, on land managed by Inyo National Forest. Topographic relief is significant as the north aspect rises above Lake George in one-half mile. Crystal Lake lies below the west aspect and T J Lake below the east aspect. Precipitation

runoff Runoff, run-off or RUNOFF may refer to: * RUNOFF, the first computer text-formatting program * Runoff or run-off, another name for bleed, printing that lies beyond the edges to which a printed sheet is trimmed * Runoff or run-off, a stock market ...

from the peak drains into these three lakes, thence north to Mammoth Creek. This mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the

United States Board on Geographic Names The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the federal governm ...

Climbing

The first ascent of Crystal Crag is unknown but was likely before 1900.Steve Roper (1976), ''The Climber's Guide to the High Sierra'', Sierra Club Books, , p. 338 The Northeast Face was climbed by Owen Williams on August 11, 1936. The North Buttress was climbed by Alvin McLane, John Houghton, and Reggie Donatelli on March 3, 1968.

Galen Rowell Galen Avery Rowell (August 23, 1940 – August 11, 2002) was a wilderness photographer, adventure photojournalist and mountaineer. Born in Oakland, California, he became a full-time photographer in 1972. Early life and education Rowell was intr ...

and

Vern Clevenger Vern Clevenger (born 1955 in Oakland, California) is a noted climber and landscape photographer. He made the first ascent of Cholatse in 1982. He lives in Mammoth Lakes, California with his wife and two children, Dylan and Sabrina. On April 13, ...

climbed the East Face in January 1973.

Climate

Crystal Crag is located in an

alpine climate Alpine climate is the typical weather (climate) for elevations above the tree line, where trees fail to grow due to cold. This climate is also referred to as a mountain climate or highland climate. Definition There are multiple definitions of ...

zone. Most weather fronts originate in the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

, 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.

Gallery

File:Crystal Crag Reflection, Lake George, Mammoth Lakes, CA 9-16 (29609650974).jpg, North aspect of Crystal Crag reflected in Lake George File:Mother Nature's Mirror, Lake George, CA 9-16 (30061744634).jpg, North aspect of Crystal Crag reflected in Lake George File:Crystal Crag Over Lake George, CA 9-16 (31917858185).jpg, Crystal Crag from Lake George File:Crystal Crag from Crystal Lake.jpg, West aspect of Crystal Crag seen from Crystal Lake File:Lake George, Mammoth Lakes 9-15 (30008591065).jpg, Crystal Crag reflected in Lake George File:Crystal Crag Over Lake Mary, Mammoth Lakes, CA 9-16 (30226963036).jpg, Crystal Crag Over Lake Mary File:Crystal Crag, Twin Lakes, Sierra Nevada.jpg, Crystal Crag (centered) with Mammoth Crest behind, seen from Twin Lakes File:Lake Mary and Crystal Crag.jpg File:Almost Spring, Twin Lakes, CA 2017.jpg File:Crystal Crag.jpg, Crystal Crag seen from the Mammoth Crest trail.

Herlihy Herlihy is an Irish surname. Deriving from the Gaelic "O'hIrghileach," which means "descendant of Irghileach," the name has connotations of long-standing heritage. The prefix "O" signifies "descendant of" and was commonly used in Gaelic surnames. ...

Peak visible in upper left corner.

References

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External links

* Weather forecast
Crystal Crag
* Crystal Crag rock climbing
Mountainproject.com
Inyo National Forest Mountains of Mono County, California North American 3000 m summits Mountains of Northern California Sierra Nevada (United States)

Climbing

Climate

Gallery

See also

Further reading

References

External links