View source for Mount Ritter

{{Short description|Mountain in California, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Mount Ritter
| photo = Ritter and banner.jpg
| photo_caption = Mount Ritter (on the left) from the [[John Muir Trail]]
| elevation_ft = 13149
| elevation_ref = {{NAVD88}}<ref name="pb">{{cite peakbagger |pid=2626 |name=Mount Ritter, California |access-date=2009-08-09}}</ref>
| prominence_ft = 3957
| prominence_ref = <ref name="pb"/>
| parent_peak = [[Red Slate Mountain]]<ref name="pb"/>
| listing = {{unbulleted list
  | [[List of the highest major summits of North America|North America highest peaks]] 124th
  | [[List of the highest major summits of the United States|US highest major peaks]] 103rd
  | [[List of highest mountain peaks of California|California highest major peaks]] 15th
  | [[List of highest points in California by county|California county high points]] 6th
  | [[Sierra Peaks Section|{{abbr|SPS|Sierra Peaks Section}}]] Emblem peak<ref name="SPS">{{cite sps |accessdate=2009-08-09}}</ref>
}}
| location = [[Ansel Adams Wilderness]],<br>[[Madera County, California|Madera County]], [[California]], [[United States|U.S.]]
| map = California#USA
| map_caption = Location in California
| map_size = 240
| label_position = below
| range = [[Ritter Range]], [[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierra Nevada]]
| coordinates = {{coord|37.689378|N|119.1990298|W|type:mountain_region:US-CA_scale:100000_source:GNIS|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| range_coordinates = 
| coordinates_ref = <ref>{{cite gnis |id=1659516 |name=Mount Ritter |access-date=2009-08-09}}</ref>
| topo = [[United States Geological Survey|USGS]] Mount Ritter
| type = [[Metavolcanic rock]]
| age = [[Cretaceous]]
| first_ascent = 1872 by [[John Muir]]<ref>
  {{cite web
  | last = Muir
  | first = John
  | url = http://www.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/writings/mount_ritter.html
  | title = The Mountains of California
  | access-date = 2009-08-09}}</ref>
| easiest_route = Snow/rock [[scrambling|scramble]]
}}

'''Mount Ritter''' is the highest mountain in [[Madera County, California|Madera County]], [[California]], in the [[Western United States]], at an elevation of {{convert|13149|ft|m}}. It is also the highest and most prominent peak of its namesake, the [[Ritter Range]], a subrange of the [[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierra Nevada]] in the [[Ansel Adams Wilderness]] of the [[Inyo National Forest|Inyo]] and [[Sierra National Forest]]s. Mount Ritter is the 15th [[Highest mountain peaks of California|highest mountain peak in California]] with at least 500 meters of topographic prominence.

==Geography==

Mount Ritter is made of strikingly dark rock and is quite prominent due to its height and isolation.<ref name="pb"/> It is in the middle of the [[Ritter Range]], which includes neighboring [[Banner Peak]] and the [[Minarets (California)|Minarets]]. The prominent and memorable shape of the Ritter–Banner pair is visible from high elevations far to the north and south in the Sierra Nevada.

Mount Ritter was named by [[Josiah Whitney]], chief of the [[California Geological Survey]], for [[Carl Ritter]], who had been a teacher of his when he was a student in [[Berlin, Germany|Berlin]] during the 1840s.<ref>
  {{cite book
  | last = Browning
  | first = Peter
  | year = 1986
  | title = Place Names of the Sierra Nevada
  | location = Berkeley
  | publisher = Wilderness Press
  | isbn = 0-89997-047-8
  | page = 183 }}</ref>

===Climate===
{{Weather box
|location = Mount Ritter 37.6852 N, 119.2000 W, Elevation: {{cvt|12306|ft}} (1991–2020 normals)
|single line = y

|Jan high F = 28.7
|Feb high F = 27.4
|Mar high F = 30.1
|Apr high F = 34.3
|May high F = 41.9
|Jun high F = 51.5
|Jul high F = 59.4
|Aug high F = 58.9
|Sep high F = 53.4
|Oct high F = 44.6
|Nov high F = 34.8
|Dec high F = 28.6

|Jan mean F = 19.3
|Feb mean F = 17.4
|Mar mean F = 19.6
|Apr mean F = 22.7
|May mean F = 29.7
|Jun mean F = 39.1
|Jul mean F = 46.5
|Aug mean F = 45.8
|Sep mean F = 40.5
|Oct mean F = 32.6
|Nov mean F = 24.9
|Dec mean F = 19.5

|Jan low F = 10.0
|Feb low F = 7.4
|Mar low F = 9.1
|Apr low F = 11.2
|May low F = 17.6
|Jun low F = 26.6
|Jul low F = 33.6
|Aug low F = 32.7
|Sep low F = 27.5
|Oct low F = 20.7
|Nov low F = 15.0
|Dec low F = 10.4

|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 11.94
|Feb precipitation inch = 9.36
|Mar precipitation inch = 8.97
|Apr precipitation inch = 5.18
|May precipitation inch = 2.76
|Jun precipitation inch = 0.70
|Jul precipitation inch = 0.53
|Aug precipitation inch = 0.37
|Sep precipitation inch = 0.48
|Oct precipitation inch = 2.93
|Nov precipitation inch = 4.11
|Dec precipitation inch = 10.03

|source=PRISM Climate Group<ref>{{cite web
|url= http://prism.oregonstate.edu/explorer/
|title= PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University
|publisher= PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University
|access-date= October 8, 2023
|quote= To find the table data on the PRISM website, start by clicking ''Coordinates'' (under ''Location''); copy ''Latitude'' and ''Longitude figures'' from top of table; click ''Zoom to location''; click ''Precipitation, Minimum temp, Mean temp, Maximum temp''; click ''30-year normals, 1991-2020''; click ''800m''; click ''Retrieve Time Series'' button.}}</ref>
}}

==See also==

* [[List of highest points in California by county]]

==References==

{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{commons-inline}}
*{{cite summitpost |id=150499 |name=Mount Ritter |accessdate=2016-10-29}}
*{{cite web |url=http://www.timberlinetrails.net/MrRitterAerial.html |title=Aerial View of Ritter, Banner, and Surrounding Peaks |access-date=2011-06-01}}

{{NA highest}}
{{California highest}}
{{California}}
{{Sierra Nevada}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ritter, Mount}}
[[Category:Mountains of Madera County, California]]
[[Category:Inyo National Forest]]
[[Category:Sierra National Forest]]
[[Category:Mountains of the Ansel Adams Wilderness]]
[[Category:Four-thousanders of the United States|Ritter]]
[[Category:Mountains of Northern California]]


{{MaderaCountyCA-geo-stub}}