Grizzly Peak (Dolores/San Juan Counties, Colorado) Explained

Grizzly Peak
Elevation Ft:13738
Elevation Ref:[1] [2]
Prominence Ft:816
Prominence Ref:[3]
Isolation Mi:1.60
Parent Peak:San Miguel Peak (13,756 ft)
Country:United States
State:Colorado
Region:Dolores / San Juan
Region Type:County
Part Type:Protected area
Part:San Juan National Forest
Range:Rocky Mountains
San Juan Mountains[4]
Etymology:Grizzly
Map:Colorado#USA
Coordinates:37.7559°N -107.8618°W
Coordinates Ref:[5]
Topo:USGS Ophir
Easiest Route: hiking

Grizzly Peak is a 13738feet mountain summit on the boundary shared by Dolores County and San Juan County, in Colorado, United States.

Description

Grizzly Peak is set 17miles west of the Continental Divide in the San Juan Mountains which are a subrange of the Rocky Mountains.[4] The peak is located 33miles north of Durango and 4.35miles northwest of Engineer Mountain, on land managed by San Juan National Forest.[4] Grizzly ranks as the fourth-highest peak in Dolores County and 126th-highest in Colorado.[3] Precipitation runoff from the mountain's west slope drains to the Dolores River via Twin Creek, and the east slope drains into Cascade Creek which is a tributary of the Animas River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises nearly 2600feet above Cascade Creek in 0.65 mile (1.05 km). The mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names,[5] and has been printed in publications since 1899.[6] There are four other summits in Colorado which are also named Grizzly Peak, as well as 18 others among several western states.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Grizzly Peak is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers.[7] Due to its altitude, it receives precipitation all year, as snow in winter and as thunderstorms in summer, with a dry period in late spring. Climbers can expect afternoon rain, hail, and lightning from the seasonal monsoon in late July and August.

See also

Notes and References

  1. The Columbia Gazetteer of the World: A to G (2008), Columbia University Press, p. 1443.
  2. Robert F. Rosebrough, The San Juan Mountains: A Climbing & Hiking Guide, Cordillera Press, 1986, page 104.
  3. Web site: Grizzly Peak - 13,753' CO. listsofjohn.com. June 17, 2023.
  4. 16702. Grizzly Peak, Colorado. June 17, 2023.
  5. 187539. Grizzly Peak. June 17, 2023.
  6. [Henry Gannett]
  7. Peel, M. C. . Finlayson, B. L. . McMahon, T. A. . 2007 . Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification . Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. . 11 . 5 . 1633 . 10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 . 2007HESS...11.1633P . 9654551 . 1027-5606. free .