Mt. Tyndall
Shepherd Pass / Sierra crest · near Independence · Sierra Nevada / Yosemite
Mountaineering
At a glance
- Grade
- scramble
- Elevation
- 14019
- Best season
- July–September; snow lingers on the approach into summer
What is here
- Terrain
- alpine-rock
- Amenities
- Shepherd Pass trail (Symmes Creek) · Best paired with Mt. Williamson · Historic 1864 first ascent · Quiet, wild summit
- Best for
- A wild, historic 14er paired with Williamson
- Features
- Clarence King's 1864 first ascent · Clean class-2/3 North Rib · Deep-wilderness position · The logical partner to Williamson
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- Remote — reached via the arduous Shepherd Pass slog · High altitude on a long multi-day trip · Loose class-2/3 rock high on the rib · Afternoon storms on the exposed upper mountain
- Beginner friendly
- No
Guides, rentals and operators
- Guided trips
- Yes
Mountaineering detail
- Skills
- scrambling · altitude
- Style
- mixed-alpine
- Altitude
- 5
- Route notes
- A striking pyramid first climbed by Clarence King in 1864 — its North Rib is a straightforward class-2 to class-3 scramble, but the peak's remoteness at the top of the grueling Shepherd Pass makes it feel far bigger than its grade
- Beta note
- ~14,019 ft; Class 2–3 North Rib; same brutal Shepherd Pass approach as Williamson
- Intl tip
- A shapely, historic 14er — Clarence King's celebrated 1864 first ascent. The standard North Rib is only class 2–3, but the peak sits atop the punishing Shepherd Pass approach, so nearly everyone climbs it on a multi-day trip and pairs it with neighboring Williamson. The grade is modest; the effort and remoteness are not. The reward is a quiet, wild, high summit far from any crowd — bring a self-reliant mindset.
- Directions note
- Approach via Shepherd Pass trailhead at Symmes Creek
The guide
Mt. Tyndall is a shapely 14er with a big historical footprint — Clarence King and Richard Cotter made its first ascent in 1864,…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Mt. Tyndall — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 36.6557, -118.3373