| Columbia Point | |
| Elevation Ft: | 13986 |
| Elevation Ref: | [1] [2] |
| Prominence Ft: | 360. |
| Isolation Mi: | 0.25 |
| Location: | Saguache County, Colorado, United States |
| Parent Peak: | Kit Carson Mountain |
| Range: | Sangre de Cristo Range, Crestones |
| Map: | Colorado |
| Coordinates: | 37.9789°N -105.5981°W |
| Coordinates Ref: | [3] |
| Topo: | USGS 7.5' topographic map Crestone Peak, Colorado |
| First Ascent: | unknown (probably climbed as part of an ascent of Kit Carson Mountain) |
| Easiest Route: | Difficult |
Columbia Point is a high mountain summit of the Crestones in the Sangre de Cristo Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The 13986feet thirteener is located 8.8km (05.5miles) east by south (bearing 102°) of the Town of Crestone in Saguache County, Colorado, United States.[1] [2] [3] The Crestones are a cluster of high summits in the Sangre de Cristo Range, comprising Crestone Peak, Crestone Needle, Kit Carson Peak, Challenger Point, Humboldt Peak, and Columbia Point.
Columbia Point is subpeak of Kit Carson Mountain. It was known informally as Kat Carson, but was officially named Columbia Point in 2003 to honor the seven astronauts who died when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during re-entry on February 1, 2003. With a topographic prominence over 3000NaN0, it qualifies as a separate summit under the standard cutoff, but it is not a well-known peak.
The USGS Board of Geographic Names approved the name of Columbia Point in June, 2003. On the weekend of August 7, 2003, a group consisting of family members, astronauts, friends and climbers installed a memorial plaque on the summit. The trip included a dedication service for the memorial, and an F16 flyby in missing man formation.
The plaque reads: