ELK MOUNTAINS (COLORADO)

The 'Elk Mountains' are a high, rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of western Colorado in the United States. The mountains sit on the western side of the Continental Divide, largely in southern Pitkin and northern Gunnison counties, in the area southwest of Aspen, south of the Roaring Fork River valley, and east of the Crystal River. The range sits west of the Sawatch Range and northeast of the West Elk Mountains. Much of the range is located within the White River National Forest and the Gunnison National Forest, as well as the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness and Raggeds Wilderness.
The highest peaks in the range are its fourteeners, Castle Peak (14,265 ft), Maroon Peak (14,156 ft), Capitol Peak (14,130 ft), Snowmass Mountain (14,092 ft), Pyramid Peak (14,018 ft), and North Maroon Peak (14,014 ft).^[1] Maroon Peak and North Maroon Peak are collectively known as the Maroon Bells, a popular destination for recreation alpinism. Mount Sopris (12,953 ft) sits at the northwest end of the range and dominates the skyline of the lower Roaring Fork Valley and the town of Carbondale, serving as an unofficial symbol of the area.
Additional notable peaks in the range include:

★ Cathedral Peak (Colorado), 13,943 ft (4,250 m), near Pyramid Peak

★ Hagerman Peak, 13,841 ft (4,219 m), near Snowmass Mountain

★ Snowmass Peak, 13,620 ft (4,151 m), near Hagerman Peak

★ Clark Peak, 13,580 ft (4,139 m), near Capitol Peak

★ Treasure Mountain, 13,528 ft (4,123 m), southwest of the Maroon Bells

★ Mount Owen, 13,058 ft (3,980 m), high point of the Ruby Range

★ Chair Mountain, 12,721 ft (3,877 m), high point of The Raggeds

★ Crested Butte (Colorado), 12,162 ft (3,706 m), home of Crested Butte Mountain Resort

★ Whitehouse Mountain, 11,975 ft (3,650 m), northwest of Treasure Mountain
The range provides a formidable barrier to travel and is traversed only by backroad passes and trails, including Schofield Pass, Pearl Pass, and Taylor Pass. Colorado State Highway 133 traverses McClure Pass, at the western end of the range. The range has been the site of mining activity since the days of the Colorado Silver Boom, which saw the founding of mining towns such as Aspen and Ashcroft. In the late 19th century, the western and southern flank of the range became the site of intense coal mining activity which continues to the present day. The range receives a great deal of snowfall due to its position to the west of the continental divide and the westerly origin of many winter storms. This is exploited by the ski areas in the vinicity of Aspen, which are located on the flanks of smaller mountains alongside the Roaring Fork Valley.

Contents

Prominent peaks

See also

References

External links

Prominent peaks

The following sortable table lists the 17 mountain peaks of the Elk Mountains with a topographic prominence of at least .

The 17 Mountain Peaks of the Elk Mountains with 500 Meters of Prominence

Rank	Mountain Peak	Elevation	Prominence	Isolation	Eminence
1	Castle Peak NGS	4352.200 = 14,279 feet 4352 m	0720.852 = 2,365 feet 721 m	00033.71 = 20.9 miles 33.7 km	03.137 = 1.2 sq.mi. 3.137 km²
2	Maroon Peak NGS	4317.000 = 14,163 feet 4317 m	0712.013 = 2,336 feet 712 m	00012.97 = 8.1 miles 13.0 km	03.074 = 1.2 sq.mi. 3.074 km²
3	Capitol PeakThe elevation of this summit has been converted from the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29) to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88). National Geodetic Survey	4308.816 = 14,137 feet 4309 m	0527.304 = 1,730 feet 527 m	00011.98 = 7.4 miles 12.0 km	02.272 = 0.9 sq.mi. 2.272 km²
4	Treasure Mountain PB	4125.342 = 13,535 feet 4125 m	0859.841 = 2,821 feet 860 m	00011.13 = 6.9 miles 11.1 km	03.547 = 1.4 sq.mi. 3.547 km²
5	West Elk Peak NGS PB	3975.200 = 13,042 feet 3975 m	0943.356 = 3,095 feet 943 m	00022.18 = 13.8 miles 22.2 km	03.750 = 1.4 sq.mi. 3.750 km²
6	Chair Mountain NGS PB	3879.100 = 12,727 feet 3879 m	0750.113 = 2,461 feet 750 m	00014.30 = 8.9 miles 14.3 km	02.910 = 1.1 sq.mi. 2.910 km²
7	Mount Gunnison NGS PB	3878.700 = 12,725 feet 3879 m	1081.735 = 3,549 feet 1082 m	00019.05 = 11.8 miles 19.1 km	04.196 = 1.6 sq.mi. 4.196 km²
8	Gothic Mountain PB	3850.036 = 12,631 feet 3850 m	0501.396 = 1,645 feet 501 m	00005.16 = 3.2 miles 5.2 km	01.930 = 0.7 sq.mi. 1.930 km²
9	Whetstone Mountain NGS PB	3818.100 = 12,527 feet 3818 m	0748.589 = 2,456 feet 749 m	00015.11 = 9.4 miles 15.1 km	02.858 = 1.1 sq.mi. 2.858 km²
10	East Beckwith Mountain NGS PB	3792.100 = 12,441 feet 3792 m	0759.562 = 2,492 feet 760 m	00011.01 = 6.8 miles 11.0 km	02.880 = 1.1 sq.mi. 2.880 km²
11	Anthracite Peak NGS PB	3777.800 = 12,394 feet 3778 m	0647.700 = 2,125 feet 648 m	00007.68 = 4.8 miles 7.7 km	02.447 = 0.9 sq.mi. 2.447 km²
12	Matchless Mountain PB	3776.279 = 12,389 feet 3776 m	0537.362 = 1,763 feet 537 m	00015.47 = 9.6 miles 15.5 km	02.029 = 0.8 sq.mi. 2.029 km²
13	Crested Butte PB	3708.918 = 12,168 feet 3709 m	0786.994 = 2,582 feet 787 m	00007.49 = 4.7 miles 7.5 km	02.919 = 1.1 sq.mi. 2.919 km²
14	Carbon Peak NGS PB	3684.300 = 12,088 feet 3684 m	0664.159 = 2,179 feet 664 m	00006.31 = 3.9 miles 6.3 km	02.447 = 0.9 sq.mi. 2.447 km²
15	Mount Guero NGS PB	3675.400 = 12,058 feet 3675 m	0741.274 = 2,432 feet 741 m	00010.27 = 6.4 miles 10.3 km	02.724 = 1.1 sq.mi. 2.724 km²
16	Huntsman Mountain Northwest PB	3614.201 = 11,858 feet 3614 m	0936.346 = 3,072 feet 936 m	00016.58 = 10.3 miles 16.6 km	03.384 = 1.3 sq.mi. 3.384 km²
17	Marcellina Mountain PB	3460.528 = 11,353 feet 3461 m	0831.494 = 2,728 feet 831 m	00008.18 = 5.1 miles 8.2 km	02.877 = 1.1 sq.mi. 2.877 km²

See also

★ Geography of Colorado

★ Mountain peaks of Colorado

★ Mountain ranges of Colorado

★ Rocky Mountains

★ State of Colorado

★ West Elk Mountains

References

1. North Maroon Peak does not meet the usual criterion for independence of having 300 feet or more of topographic prominence, but it is included on many lists of fourteeners.

External links

★ Rocky Mountains @ Peakbagger

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★ Southern Rocky Mountains @ Peakbagger

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★ Elk Mountains @ Peakbagger

★ Topographic map

★ Geology of the Elk Mountains