The mountain is named in honor of James Dwight Dana, who was a professor of natural history and geology at Yale.

After topping a ridge, a set of use-paths and ducked routes are present, with the main path running along the easterly ridgeline.

Additionally, numerous alternate trail segments begin and end at various points on the southwestern face, making parts of this hike a difficult class 2.

After reaching a plateau above the tree line, most vegetation disappears with the exception of lichen and a few high alpine plants such as Sky Pilot (Polemonium eximium).

[9] In the summer of 2009, an NPS employee died after falling on a technical rock climbing route on the northeast face of Mount Dana.