Sentinel Dome

Sentinel Dome is a granite dome on the southern wall of Yosemite Valley in Mariposa County, California, about 0.8 miles southwest of Glacier Point, reaching a summit elevation of 8,127 feet (2,477 meters) with a topographic prominence of 322 feet. It is built of granite that formed during the Cretaceous period, and its summit offers panoramic views of Half Dome, El Capitan, Yosemite Falls, North Dome and Basket Dome, along with a 360-degree view of the night sky that has made it a popular stargazing spot alongside nearby Glacier Point. The dome was long known for a Jeffrey Pine that grew from its peak, photographed by Carleton Watkins in 1867 and later by Ansel Adams; the tree died in the 1976 drought and remained standing until it finally collapsed in August 2003. A roughly 1.1-mile trail leads to its base. This entity documents Sentinel Dome specifically as a geological formation, a Cretaceous granite dome on Yosemite Valley's southern wall.