The Sentinel (Zion)

The Sentinel is a 7,120+ ft (2,170+ m) elevation Navajo Sandstone summit located near the Court of the Patriarchs in Zion National Park, in Washington County of southwest Utah, United States.[3] The national park map lists the elevation as 7,157-feet.

The Sentinel
The Sentinel, northeast aspect
Highest point
Elevation7,120 ft (2,170 m) [1]
Prominence400 ft (120 m) [1]
Parent peakThe East Temple[1]
Isolation0.81 mi (1.30 km) [2]
Coordinates37°13′53″N 112°58′51″W [1]
Geography
The Sentinel
Location in Utah
The Sentinel
The Sentinel (the United States)
LocationZion National Park
Washington County, Utah
United States
Parent rangeColorado Plateau
Topo mapUSGS Springdale East
Geology
Age of rockJurassic
Type of rockNavajo sandstone
Climbing
First ascent1938 Bob Brinton, Glen Dawson
Easiest routeclass 5 climbing

Description

The Sentinel is located 1.5 mi (2.4 km) north of Zion's park headquarters, towering 3,000-feet (900 meters) above the park road and the floor of Zion Canyon. It is set alongside the North Fork of the Virgin River which drains precipitation runoff from this mountain. Its neighbors include Bee Hive, Mount Spry, The East Temple, Mount Moroni, Mountain of the Sun, Twin Brothers, and the Three Patriarchs. This feature's name was officially adopted in 1934 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.[3] In 1995, a landslide at the base of The Sentinel dammed the Virgin River and washed out a section of the park road. The Sentinel was once much bigger before a huge rock avalanche fell from it, when 4,800 years ago the Sentinel Slide with a volume of 286 million cubic meters {10.1 billion cubic feet) dammed the river, thereby creating Sentinel Lake which existed for 700 years and filled with sediments, creating Zion's flat valley.[4][5]

Climate

Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit The Sentinel. 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.[6]

See also
  • Sunrise on The Sentinel (centered)
  • Court of the Patriarchs in winter. Sentinel, Abraham, Isaac, Moroni
  • Bee Hive Peak and The Streaked Wall (left), The Sentinel (right}
  • South aspect
  • Sentinel Slide
  • The Sentinel in autumn
  • The Sentinel through the Cottonwoods
  • Sunrise. (Bee Hive lower left)
  • The Sentinel seen from the Watchman Trail

References
  1. "The Sentinel, Utah". Peakbagger.com.
  2. "Sentinel, The - 7,160' UT". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
  3. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: The Sentinel
  4. https://unews.utah.edu/how-a-huge-landslide-shaped-zion-national-park/
  5. James Kaiser, Zion: The Complete Guide, 1st Edition, 2019, Destination Press, ISBN 978-1940754-40-6
  6. "Zion National Park, Utah, USA - Monthly weather forecast and Climate data". Weather Atlas. Archived from the original on August 31, 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
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