Vogelsang Pass is a mountain pass in the Cathedral Range of

Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ar ...

, at . It lies between the

cirque A (; from the Latin word ') is an amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion. Alternative names for this landform are corrie (from Scottish Gaelic , meaning a pot or cauldron) and (; ). A cirque may also be a similarly shaped landform ...

containing Vogelsang Lake and the valley with Lewis Creek. The pass also lies on the ridge between Fletcher Peak () and Vogelsang Peak (). The pass was named by Colonel Harry Coupland Benson, the Superintendent of Yosemite National Park in 1907. It was named after either Alexander Vogelsang or his brother Charles Vogelsang, both of whom were on the

California Fish and Game Commission The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), formerly known as the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), is a state agency under the California Natural Resources Agency. The Department of Fish and Wildlife manages and protect ...

. Alexander Vogelsang was subsequently the First Assistant

United States Secretary of the Interior The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natural ...

. Vogelsang Pass, like the rest of the Cathedral Range, is formed out of Cathedral Peak Granodiorite, which was formed approximately 87 million years ago. Due to its elevation, Vogelsang Pass is in the alpine zone of the Sierra Nevada, where the growing season is too short and cold to support trees. There are many alpine flowers near the pass, including rock fringe (''

Epilobium obcordatum ''Epilobium obcordatum'' is a species of perennial plant in the evening-primrose family (Onagraceae), known by the common name rockfringe willowherb and rock fringe. It is native to the western United States from California to Idaho Ida ...

'') and alpine willow ('' Salix arctica''). Numerous marmots ('' Marmota flaviventris'') also live near the pass.

Vogelsang High Sierra Camp The High Sierra Camps are nine rustic lodging facilities located in two national parks and a national monument in California's Sierra Nevada mountain range. Open most years from June or July to September, they are staffed camps with tent cabins ...

is a common starting point for hiking to Vogelsang Pass. The pass is and of elevation above Vogelsang Lake. Many mountains can be seen from the pass, including the Clark Range,

Bernice Lake Dame Bernice Lake (1932/1933 – September 10, 2011) was an Anguillan-born jurist and legal scholar whose career spanned more than forty years. In 1985, she became the first woman from the Eastern Caribbean to be appointed Queen's Counsel. Lake ...

, Parsons Peak, Simmons Peak,

Mount Maclure Mount Maclure is the nearest neighbor to Mount Lyell, the highest point in Yosemite National Park. Mount Maclure is the fifth-highest mountain of Yosemite. Mount Maclure is located at the southeast end of the Cathedral Range, about northwest of ...

, and Mount Florence. The view has been called "one of the most stunning views in Yosemite National Park" by the publisher of ''Sierra Rec'' magazine. The route from the pass to Vogelsang Peak is a class 2 scramble.

References

{{reflist Mountain passes of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Landforms of Mariposa County, California