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Collegiate Peaks Wilderness

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The Collegiate Peaks Wilderness is a 168,000-acre (680 km) area located in central Colorado between Leadville and Buena Vista to the east and Aspen to the west and Crested Butte to the southwest. Most of the area is in the San Isabel and Gunnison National Forests , with a smaller area in the White River National Forest southeast of Aspen. Most of the area is in northwest Chaffee County with smaller portions in Gunnison , Pitkin , and Lake counties.

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16-573: The Collegiate Peaks area includes much of the Sawatch Range and has the highest average elevation of any wilderness area in the United States. Five of the area's 14,000-foot (4,300 m) peaks are named for famous universities and colleges, including Mt. Harvard , Mt. Oxford , Mt. Yale , Mt. Princeton and Mt. Columbia . These peaks are the source of the name for the wilderness area, which includes them all but Mt. Princeton. Other fourteeners in

32-465: A mountain or hill may be measured in three principal ways: Not all summits over 14,000 feet qualify as fourteeners. Summits that qualify are those considered by mountaineers to be independent. Objective standards for independence include topographic prominence and isolation (distance from a higher summit), or a combination of the two. However, fourteener lists do not always use such objective rules consistently. A rule commonly used by mountaineers in

48-568: 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 roughly 80 miles (130 km) from 39°37′36″N 106°32′13″W  /  39.62667°N 106.53694°W  / 39.62667; -106.53694 in

64-452: Is also dotted with the evidence of mining operations from the last century. In the Pine Creek valley - one of the central valleys between Mounts Oxford, Belford and Missouri to the north and Mt. Harvard and Columbia to the south, there is evidence of an earlier settlement on both sides of the stream comprising four cabins and a horse corral. South of the town of Winfield are the spare remains of

80-605: Is another 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 San Isabel National Forest and White River National Forest . Fourteeners In the mountaineering parlance of

96-696: The Roaring Fork River . There are numerous alpine creeks in the area's wide valleys and these are all quite marshy. Snow does not usually begin to melt until May or June and it remains year-round in places on some of the high peaks. Both the Continental Divide Trail and the Colorado Trail cross the area. The Continental Divide Trail follows the course of the Continental Divide itself with several side spurs. The Colorado Trail passes through

112-572: The Western United States , a fourteener (also spelled 14er ) is a mountain peak with an elevation of at least 14,000 ft (4267 m). The 96 fourteeners in the United States are all west of the Mississippi River . Colorado has the most (53) of any single state; Alaska is second with 29. Many peak baggers try to climb all fourteeners in the contiguous United States , one particular state, or another region. The summit of

128-735: The 96 mountain peaks of the United States with at least 14,000 ft (4267 m) of topographic elevation and at least 300 ft (91.44 m) of topographic prominence]. Of these, 53 rise in Colorado , 29 in Alaska, 12 in California, and 2 in Washington (Liberty Cap is part of the crater atop Mt Rainier). The 22 highest fourteeners all rise in Alaska. The table above uses a minimum topographic prominence criterion of 300 ft (91.44 m) and includes 96 peaks. The number of peaks included depends upon

144-615: The Holy Cross , and the Collegiate Peaks (Mounts Columbia , Harvard , Princeton , Yale , Belford , and Oxford ). State Highway 82 traverses the range at Independence Pass (Colorado) . It is also traversed by Cottonwood Pass , which connects the town of Buena Vista with Gunnison County. Both Independence Pass and Cottonwood Pass are over 12,000 feet (3,658 m), making them 2 of the highest passes in Colorado and are typically open only from late spring to mid autumn. Hagerman Pass

160-467: The area include La Plata Peak , Mount Belford , Huron Peak , and Missouri Mountain . The Collegiate Peaks also includes several notable 13,000-foot (4,000 m) peaks including the Three Apostles, a chain of three mountains about six miles (10 km) south of the ghost town of Winfield . The middle peak of the Three Apostles is also referred to as Ice Mountain and is generally recognized as one of

176-668: The contiguous United States is that a peak must have at least 300 ft (91 m) of prominence to qualify. By this rule, Colorado has 53 fourteeners, California has 12, and Washington has 2. According to the Mountaineering Club of Alaska, the standard in Alaska uses a 500-foot (150 m) prominence rule rather than a 300-foot (91 m) rule. By this rule, Alaska has at least 21 peaks over 14,000 ft (4,267 m) and its 12 highest peaks exceed 15,000 ft (4,572 m). Download coordinates as: The following table lists

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192-580: 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

208-498: The lower eastern portion of the area and crosses Pine Creek, Frenchman Creek and Three Elk Creek all of which drain into the Arkansas River north of Buena Vista. In earlier times the area was inhabited by various people. There are groves of old growth Ponderosa Pine on the eastern side which bear evidence of stripping by bands of native Utes who inhabited the area and used the bark from living trees for clothing and food. The area

224-642: The most difficult peaks to climb in the Sawatch Range. Notably, the Collegiate Peaks also has two peaks named Grizzly Peak. One is south of Independence Pass at 13,988, and the other is north of Taylor Reservoir on the Continental Divide at 13,281. The area is an important watershed for three rivers on both sides of the Continental Divide: the upper Arkansas River , the Gunnison River , and

240-462: The north to 38°5′51″N 106°3′48″W  /  38.09750°N 106.06333°W  / 38.09750; -106.06333 in the south. The range contains fifteen peaks in excess of 14,000 feet (4,267 m), also known as fourteeners . The range forms a part of the Continental Divide , and its eastern side drains into the headwaters of the Arkansas River . The western side of the range feeds

256-487: The town of Harrison at the base of Mt. Huron. The Collegiate Peaks borders several other Colorado wilderness areas including: Buffalo Peaks , Maroon Bells-Snowmass , Hunter-Fryingpan , and Mount Massive . It was designated by congress as a wilderness area in 1980 in accordance with the provisions of the Wilderness Act of 1964. Sawatch Range The Sawatch Range / s ə ˈ w ɑː tʃ / or Saguache Range

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