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17-708: The river flows from a source on Blanca Peak in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of Colorado . It joins the Arkansas in Pueblo County just south of the town of Boone . One major tributary is the Cucharas River . The Huerfano River was named after the nearby Huerfano Butte . Huerfano is derived from a Spanish name meaning "orphan", so named from the butte's remote location. [REDACTED] Media related to Huerfano River at Wikimedia Commons This article related to

34-409: A basin including Crater Lake, Blue Lakes, and Como Lake. There is a class 2 route to the summit from Como Lake. An extremely challenging four wheel drive road accesses Como Lake 11,750 feet (3,580 m), and provides the most frequently used access to Blanca Peak. Most vehicles stop at an elevation of between 8,000 feet (2,400 m) and 10,000 feet (3,000 m) on this road. The Como Lake Road

51-789: 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

68-525: A river in Colorado is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Blanca Peak Blanca Peak ( Navajo : Sis Naajinį́ meaning "black belted mountain"; Tewa : Peeroradarath ; Ute : Pintsae'i'i ) is the fourth highest summit of the Rocky Mountains of North America and the U.S. state of Colorado . The ultra-prominent 14,351-foot (4,374 m) peak is the highest summit of

85-621: 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

102-399: A stone structure possibly built by Ute Indians or wandering Spaniards ." 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, the highest peak in

119-462: Is a designated Alamosa County Road and runs to the edge of the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness just short of Blue Lakes. The Como Lake Road is rated as the most challenging 4WD road in Colorado. The Huerfano River flows from the north side of Blanca Peak. A road, starting out as a two-wheel drive road, then becoming a four-wheel drive road (less challenging than the Como Lake Road), provides access to

136-583: Is located on the same drainage divide approximately 251 feet (77 m) northeast by north ( bearing 30°) of the Blanca Peak summit at the boundary of the San Isabel National Forest . The Blanca Peak Tripoint is the highest point in Huerfano County. Blanca Peak is located at the southern end of the Sangre de Cristo Range , a subrange of the more extensive Sangre de Cristo Mountains , and

153-473: Is the highest peak in both ranges. It lies approximately 20 miles (32 km) east-northeast of the town of Alamosa . Approximately 15 miles (24 km) to the north-northwest is Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve . Blanca Peak is notable not only for its absolute height, but also for its great local relief and dominant position at the end of the range, rising high above the San Luis Valley to

170-728: The Wet Mountains to the east and the Front Range to the northeast are also pre-Cambrian, also about 1.8 billion years old. In contrast, the Sangre de Cristo Range to the north and the Culebra Range to the south are Permian rock between 250 and 300 million years old. Blanca Peak is known to the Navajo people as the Sacred Mountain of the East: Sisnaajiní (or Tsisnaasjiní ),

187-510: The technical climbing on the North Face of Blanca Peak. Blanca Creek drains Blanca Basin under the south slopes of the peak, and Little Ute Creek descends from the Winchell Lakes on the southeast side. However these are not used to access the peak due to private property. Three other fourteeners are nearby: Mount Lindsey to the east, Ellingwood Point to the north and Little Bear Peak to

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204-604: The Dawn or White Shell Mountain. The mountain is considered to be the eastern boundary of the Dinetah , the traditional Navajo homeland. It is associated with the color white, and is said to be covered in daylight and dawn and fastened to the ground with lightning. It is gendered male. Summitpost notes that "the first recorded ascent of Blanca by the Wheeler Survey was recorded on August 14, 1874, but to their surprise they found evidence of

221-548: 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

238-559: The Sierra Blanca Massif, the Sangre de Cristo Range , and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains . The fourteener is located 9.6 miles (15.5 km) north by east ( bearing 9°) of the Town of Blanca , on the drainage divide separating Rio Grande National Forest and Alamosa County from the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant and Costilla County . The summit is the highest point of both counties and

255-515: The entire drainage basin of the Rio Grande . Below the steep North Face of Blanca Peak two live Glaciers once developed, until extinction sometime after 1903. North & South Blanca Glaciers were located at 37° 35N.,longitude 105° 28W. Blanca Peak is higher than any point in the United States east of its longitude . The Blanca Peak Tripoint of Alamosa , Costilla , and Huerfano counties

272-452: The southwest. Ellingwood Point is connected to Blanca by a short, high ridge, and is often climbed in conjunction with Blanca. Little Bear also has a high connecting ridge to Blanca, but it is a technical traverse, only recommended for highly experienced parties. The granite that makes up the Blanca massif is pre-Cambrian in age, dated at approximately 1.8 billion years old. The major part of

289-532: The west. For example, it rises nearly 7,000 feet (2,100 m) over the edge of the San Luis Valley in only 6 miles (9.7 km). Blanca is also the third most topographically prominent peak in Colorado; it is separated from the higher peaks in the Sawatch Range by relatively low Poncha Pass at 9,019 feet (2,749 m). Blanca Peak heads up three major creeks. Holbrook Creek is on the west, flowing from

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