Sawatch Range
Sawatch Range | |
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Saguache Range | |
Sawatch Range seen from Monarch Pass
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Highest point | |
Peak | Mount Elbert |
Elevation | Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). |
Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
Dimensions | |
Length | Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1851: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). NW/SE |
Geography | |
Country | United States |
State | Colorado |
Parent range | Rocky Mountains |
The Sawatch Range /səˈwætʃ/[1][2] is a high and extensive mountain range in central Colorado which includes eight of the twenty highest peaks in the Rocky Mountains, including Mount Elbert, at 14,440 feet (4,401 m) elevation, the highest peak in the Rockies.
The range is oriented along a northwest-southeast axis, extending approximately 80 miles (130 km) from Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. in the north to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. in the south. The range contains 15 peaks topping 14000 ft (4267 m). The range forms a portion of the Continental Divide, and its eastern flanks are drained by the headwaters of the Arkansas River. The western side of the range feeds the headwaters of the Roaring Fork River, the Eagle River, and the Gunnison River, tributaries of the Colorado River.
The Sawatch mountains in general are high, massive, and relatively gentle in contour. While some peaks are rugged enough to require technical climbing, most can be climbed by a simple, yet arduous hike. Notable summits include Mount Elbert, Mount Massive, La Plata Peak, Mount of the Holy Cross, and the Collegiate Peaks (Mounts Columbia, Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Belford, and Oxford).
State Highway 82 traverses the range at Independence Pass, which is typically open only from late spring to mid autumn. It is also traversed by Hagerman Pass to the north, connecting the Arkansas Headwaters near Leadville with the upper valley of the Fryingpan River. Hagerman pass is traversable with four-wheel drive vehicles and on foot during summer and early autumn months. The range contains numerous hiking trails within the White River National Forest and the Hunter-Fryingpan Wilderness.
Prominent peaks
Rank | Mountain Peak | Elevation | Prominence | Isolation |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Mount Elbert[3] NGS | 4401 m |
14,440 feet2772 m |
9,093 feet1079.2 km |
670.6 miles
2 | Mount Massive[4] | 4398 m |
14,428 feet592 m |
1,941 feet8.2 km |
5.1 miles
3 | Mount Harvard NGS | 4395 m |
14,421 feet709 m |
2,327 feet24.0 km |
14.9 miles
4 | La Plata Peak[4] | 4372 m |
14,343 feet561 m |
1,841 feet10.1 km |
6.3 miles
5 | Mount Antero NGS | 4351 m |
14,276 feet763 m |
2,503 feet28.6 km |
17.7 miles
6 | Mount Princeton NGS | 4329 m |
14,204 feet664 m |
2,177 feet8.4 km |
5.2 miles
7 | Mount Yale NGS | 4329 m |
14,202 feet572 m |
1,876 feet8.9 km |
5.5 miles
8 | Mount of the Holy Cross NGS | 4271 m |
14,011 feet643 m |
2,111 feet29.8 km |
18.5 miles
9 | Grizzly Peak NGS | 4266 m |
13,995 feet582 m |
1,908 feet10.9 km |
6.8 miles
10 | Mount Ouray NGS | 4255 m |
13,961 feet810 m |
2,659 feet21.9 km |
13.6 miles
11 | Mount Jackson[4] PB | 4169 m |
13,676 feet552 m |
1,810 feet5.2 km |
3.2 miles
12 | Bill Williams Peak[4] PB | 4081 m |
13,389 feet513 m |
1,682 feet6.5 km |
4.0 miles
13 | Antora Peak[4] PB | 4046 m |
13,275 feet734 m |
2,409 feet10.9 km |
6.7 miles
14 | Henry Mountain[4] PB | 4042 m |
13,261 feet510 m |
1,674 feet18.6 km |
11.5 miles
15 | Park Cone[4] PB | 3690 m |
12,106 feet622 m |
2,040 feet5.5 km |
3.4 miles
16 | Red Table Mountain[4] PB | 3671 m |
12,043 feet615 m |
2,017 feet16.6 km |
10.3 miles
17 | Tomichi Dome[4] PB | 3496 m |
11,471 feet709 m |
2,325 feet21.4 km |
13.3 miles
18 | Castle Peak[4] PB | 3440 m |
11,285 feet927 m |
3,040 feet30.5 km |
18.9 miles
See also
References
- ↑ The place name "Sawatch" is pronounced /səˈwætʃ/. This name derives from the Ute language noun "sawup" /səˈwʌp/ meaning "sand dunes". The Spanish language version of this name is usually spelled "Saguache", while the English language version is usually spelled "Sawatch".
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ The summit of Mount Elbert is the highest point of the Rocky Mountains and the State of Colorado.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 The 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
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sawatch Range. |
- Commons category link is defined as the pagename
- Mountain ranges of Colorado
- Ranges of the Rocky Mountains
- Landforms of Gunnison County, Colorado
- Landforms of Lake County, Colorado
- Landforms of Chaffee County, Colorado
- Landforms of Eagle County, Colorado
- Landforms of Saguache County, Colorado
- San Isabel National Forest