Clyde Minaret
The Minarets, near Mammoth · near Mammoth Lakes · Eastern Sierra
Mountaineering
At a glance
- Grade
- serious
- Elevation
- 12281
- Best season
- July–September for dry rock
What is here
- Terrain
- alpine-rock
- Amenities
- Devils Postpile / Minaret Lake approach · Minaret Lake basecamp · Guide services climb the SE Face · The crown of the Minarets
- Best for
- A world-class alpine rock climb on a dramatic spire
- Features
- Highest of the Minarets · Classic Southeast Face (5.8) · Dramatic, spiky profile · A committing alpine-rock prize
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- Long sustained 5.8 climbing — a committing full-value route · Serious, complex descent off the spire · Route-finding on the face · Afternoon storms on very exposed terrain
- Beginner friendly
- No
Guides, rentals and operators
- Guided trips
- Yes
Mountaineering detail
- Skills
- roped-rock · altitude · scrambling
- Style
- rock-route
- Altitude
- 2
- Route notes
- The highest and most magnificent of the jagged Minarets — its Southeast Face is a long, sustained 5.8 that ranks among the Sierra's great alpine rock climbs, on a spire that looks impossible from the valley
- Beta note
- ~12,281 ft; SE Face 5.8, long multi-pitch; a serious, committing alpine rock route
- Intl tip
- The high point of the serrated Minarets south of Mammoth, named for legendary climber Norman Clyde. Its Southeast Face is a long, sustained 5.8, counted among the Sierra's finest alpine rock climbs — many exposed pitches to a summit that looks impossible from below. A serious, committing objective with a complex descent and full storm exposure, from a camp at gorgeous Minaret Lake. Firmly for experienced alpine climbers; guide services run the face.
- Directions note
- Approach from Agnew Meadows via Shadow / Ediza Lakes
The guide
The Minarets are the serrated black spires that saw-tooth the skyline south of Mammoth, and Clyde Minaret is their high point —…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Clyde Minaret — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.6672, -119.1692