5-615: The Collegiate Peaks (or Collegiate Range ) is a name given to a section of the Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains located in central Colorado . Drainages to the east include headwaters of the Arkansas River . The Collegiate Peaks include some of the highest mountains in the Rockies. The section is so named because several of the mountains are named for prominent universities. In
10-733: 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 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
15-621: 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 (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
20-559: The Arapaho language the Collegiate Peaks were called "hiwoxuu hookuhu'ee" or the Elk's Head. PB Sawatch Range The Sawatch Range / s ə ˈ w ɑː tʃ / or Saguache Range 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,
25-518: 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 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
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