California Minarets

They are easily viewed from Minaret Summit, which is accessible by auto. Collectively, they form an arête, and are a prominent feature in the Ansel Adams Wilderness which was known as the Minaret Wilderness until it was renamed in honor of Ansel Adams in 1984.

The Minarets
The Minarets from Minaret Lake
Highest point
Peak	Clyde Minaret
Elevation	12,270 ft (3,740 m) NAVD 88
Prominence	1,152 ft (351 m)
Parent peak	Mount Ritter
Listing	SPS Mountaineers peak
Coordinates	37°39′43″N 119°10′41″W / 37.6618792°N 119.1781938°W / 37.6618792; -119.1781938
Geography
The Minarets Location in California Show map of California The Minarets The Minarets (the United States) Show map of the United States
Location	Madera County, California, U.S.
Parent range	Ritter Range, Sierra Nevada
Topo map	USGS Mount Ritter
Geology
Age of rock	Mid-cretaceous
Mountain type	Metamorphic rock
Climbing
First ascent	1928 by Norman Clyde
Easiest route	Rock climb class 4

The peaks were named in 1868 by the California Geographical Survey, which reported: "To the south of Mount Ritter are some grand pinnacles of granite, very lofty and apparently inaccessible, to which we gave the name of 'the Minarets.'" Seventeen of the Minarets have been given unofficial names, including Michael Minaret, Adams Minaret, Leonard Minaret, and Clyde Minaret. Clyde Minaret, named after Norman Clyde, is the tallest of the spires. The Southeast Face Route of Clyde Minaret is a technical rock climb featured in Fifty Classic Climbs of North America.

The area is notable for two fatalities:

• Walter A. Starr, Jr., author of Starr’s Guide to the John Muir Trail and the High Sierra Region, fell to his death while solo-climbing the northwest face of Michael Minaret in 1933.
• Steve Fossett, an American aviator and adventurer, died in a plane crash near the Minarets in 2007.