| Hayden Peak | |
| Elevation Ft: | 13570. |
| Elevation Ref: | [1] |
| Prominence Ft: | 176 |
| Isolation Mi: | 0.82 |
| Country: | United States |
| State: | Colorado |
| Region: | Pitkin County |
| Region Type: | County |
| Part Type: | Protected area |
| Part: | Maroon Bells–Snowmass Wilderness |
| Range: | Rocky Mountains Elk Mountains[2] |
| Map: | Colorado#USA |
| Coordinates: | 39.0592°N -106.8519°W |
| Coordinates Ref: | [3] |
| Topo: | USGS Hayden Peak |
| Rock: | Hornfels[4] |
Hayden Peak is a 13570feet mountain summit in Pitkin County, Colorado, United States.
Hayden Peak is located 15miles west of the Continental Divide in the Elk Mountains which are a subrange of the Rocky Mountains. The mountain is situated 10miles south of the community of Aspen and 3.6miles north of Castle Peak. The peak is set in the Maroon Bells–Snowmass Wilderness on land managed by White River National Forest.[2] Precipitation runoff from the mountain's slopes drains into tributaries of the Roaring Fork River which is a tributary of the Colorado River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 3770feet above Conundrum Creek in 1.6miles and 4170feet above Castle Creek in 2.9miles.
The mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names,[3] and has been reported in publications since at least 1906.[5] An 1884 publication reported a "Hayden's Peak" in Pitkin County.[6] Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden (1829–1887) was an American geologist noted for his pioneering surveys of the Rocky Mountains and has several mountain peaks named after him. In 1877, he issued his Geological and Geographical Atlas of Colorado and Portions of Adjacent Territory.
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Hayden 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.