Mount Elbert
Encyclopedia
Mount Elbert is the highest peak in the Rocky Mountains
of North America
, at 14440 feet (4,401 m), the highest of the fourteeners in Colorado
, and the high point of the Sawatch Range
. It is located in Lake County
, approximately 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Leadville
. It lies within the San Isabel National Forest
.
The mountain was named after Colorado statesman Samuel Hitt Elbert
, who was active in the formative period of the State.
Mount Elbert is the second highest mountain in the contiguous United States
, after Mount Whitney
in California
, and is only 65 feet (20 m) shorter than Whitney's 14505 feet (4,421 m).
There are three main routes up the mountain, all of which gain over 4000 feet (1,219.2 m) of elevation. The standard route ascends the peak from the east, starting from the Colorado Trail
. The most difficult is the Black Cloud Trail, which takes ten to fourteen hours depending on the pace, and has 5300 feet (1,615.4 m) of elevation gain. Nearby fourteeners include Mount Massive
to the north and La Plata Peak
to the south.
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, at 14440 feet (4,401 m), the highest of the fourteeners in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, and the high point of the Sawatch Range
Sawatch Range
The Sawatch Range is a mountain range in central Colorado which includes eight of the twenty highest peaks in the Rocky Mountains, including Mount Elbert, at elevation, the highest peak in the Rockies....
. It is located in Lake County
Lake County, Colorado
Lake County is one of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The highest natural point in Colorado and the entire Rocky Mountains is the summit of Mount Elbert in Lake County at 14,440 feet elevation. The county population was 7,812 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat...
, approximately 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Leadville
Leadville, Colorado
Leadville is a Statutory City that is the county seat of, and the only municipality in, Lake County, Colorado, United States. Situated at an elevation of , Leadville is the highest incorporated city and the second highest incorporated municipality in the United States...
. It lies within the San Isabel National Forest
San Isabel National Forest
San Isabel National Forest is located in central Colorado. The forest contains 19 of the state's 54 fourteeners, peaks over high, including Mount Elbert, the highest point in Colorado....
.
The mountain was named after Colorado statesman Samuel Hitt Elbert
Samuel Hitt Elbert
Samuel Hitt Elbert served as Governor of the Territory of Colorado and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of Colorado ....
, who was active in the formative period of the State.
Mount Elbert is the second highest mountain in the contiguous United States
Contiguous United States
The contiguous United States are the 48 U.S. states on the continent of North America that are south of Canada and north of Mexico, plus the District of Columbia....
, after Mount Whitney
Mount Whitney
Mount Whitney is the highest summit in the contiguous United States with an elevation of . It is on the boundary between California's Inyo and Tulare counties, west-northwest of the lowest point in North America at Badwater in Death Valley National Park...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and is only 65 feet (20 m) shorter than Whitney's 14505 feet (4,421 m).
There are three main routes up the mountain, all of which gain over 4000 feet (1,219.2 m) of elevation. The standard route ascends the peak from the east, starting from the Colorado Trail
Colorado Trail
The Colorado Trail is a long trail running from the mouth of Waterton Canyon southwest of Denver to Durango in Colorado, United States. Its highest point is above sea level, and most of the trail is above...
. The most difficult is the Black Cloud Trail, which takes ten to fourteen hours depending on the pace, and has 5300 feet (1,615.4 m) of elevation gain. Nearby fourteeners include Mount Massive
Mount Massive
Mount Massive is a fourteener in the Sawatch Range of the US State of Colorado. It is the second tallest peak in Colorado, edging out the third highest, Mount Harvard, by seven feet, and lower than Mount Elbert by . It is the third highest peak in the contiguous United States...
to the north and La Plata Peak
La Plata Peak
La Plata Peak is over fourteen thousand feet in elevation and the fifth highest mountain in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the Sawatch Range in northwestern Chaffee County, approximately southwest of Leadville, Colorado, just south of Twin Lakes and State Highway 82 on the east side...
to the south.
See also
- List of Colorado fourteeners
- List of U.S. states by elevation
- Mountain peaks of ColoradoMountain peaks of ColoradoThis article comprises three sortable tables of the major mountain peaks of the U.S. State of Colorado.Topographic elevation is the vertical distance above the reference geoid, a precise mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface...
- Mountain ranges of ColoradoMountain ranges of ColoradoThe following table lists the major mountain ranges of the U.S. State of Colorado.-Mountain Ranges:-See also:*4000 meter peaks of Colorado*Colorado mountain passes*Geography of Colorado*Lists of mountains*Mountain peaks of Colorado...