Cathedral Mountain (Zion National Park)

Cathedral Mountain is a 6,930-foot (2,110 m) elevation Navajo Sandstone summit located in Zion National Park, in Washington County of southwest Utah, United States.^[3]

Cathedral Mountain
Cathedral Mountain, east aspect, August 2012
Highest point
Elevation	6,930 ft (2,110 m)[1]
Prominence	210 ft (64 m)[1]
Parent peak	Mount Majestic (6,956 ft)[2]
Isolation	0.25 mi (0.40 km)[2]
Coordinates	37°16′30″N 112°57′29″W[1]
Geography
Cathedral Mountain Location of Cathedral Mountain in Utah Show map of Utah Cathedral Mountain Cathedral Mountain (the United States) Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Utah
County	Washington
Protected area	Zion National Park
Parent range	Colorado Plateau
Topo map	USGS Temple of Sinawava
Geology
Age of rock	Jurassic
Type of rock	Navajo sandstone
Climbing
First ascent	1931
Easiest route	class 4 scrambling[2]

Description

Cathedral Mountain is situated at the north end of Zion Canyon, towering 2,500 feet (760 meters) above the canyon floor and the North Fork of the Virgin River which drains precipitation runoff from this mountain. Cathedral is the nearest higher neighbor to Angels Landing, with 0.7 miles (1.1 km) of separation, and the Angels Landing Trail traverses Refrigerator Canyon between them.^[4] Other neighbors include The Great White Throne, Observation Point, The Organ, Lady Mountain, Cable Mountain, and parent Mount Majestic. This feature's descriptive name was applied by Stephen S. Johnson in 1922, and officially adopted in 1934 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.^[3][5] The Spearhead, elevation 5,804-ft, is the southernmost tip of this mountain, and is prominently featured from Zion Lodge.^[6] The first ascent of Cathedral was made by Walter Becker, Fritz Becker, and Rudolph Weidner on August 31, 1931.^[7]

Climate

Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit Cathedral Mountain. According to the Köppen climate classification system, it is located in a Cold semi-arid climate zone, which is defined by the coldest month having an average mean temperature below 32 °F (0 °C), and at least 50% of the total annual precipitation being received during the spring and summer. This desert climate receives less than 10 inches (250 millimeters) of annual rainfall, and snowfall is generally light during the winter.^[8]

Gallery

• 
  Cathedral centered beyond Big Bend
• 
  Enjoying the view from Observation Point, white cliffs of Cathedral Mountain to right
• 
  Cathedral Mountain from Observation Point
• 
  Cathedral Mountain (left) from the trail, with Observation Point upper right
• 
  Cathedral (left) from south. Angels Landing centered.
• 
  Cathedral Mountain from Angels Landing
• 
  The Spearhead
• 
  The Spearhead
• 
  The Spearhead in 1929
• 
  Cathedral centered

See also

• Mountains portal
• Utah portal

• List of mountains in Utah
• Geology of the Zion and Kolob canyons area
• Colorado Plateau

References

1. "Cathedral Mountain, Utah". Peakbagger.com.
2. "Cathedral Mountain - 6,930' UT". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
3. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Cathedral Mountain
4. "Angels Landing, Utah". Peakbagger.com.
5. Ron Kay, Ron Kay's Guide to Zion National Park, Countryman Press, 2008, page 91.
6. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: The Spearhead
7. A Brief History of Climbing in Zion. bigwalls.net
8. "Zion National Park, Utah, USA - Monthly weather forecast and Climate data". Weather Atlas. Archived from the original on January 27, 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2020.

External links

• Zion National Park National Park Service
• Weather forecast: Cathedral Mountain
• Cathedral Mountain Rock Climbing: mountainproject.com