| Mount Aetna | |
| Elevation Ft: | 13745 |
| Elevation Ref: | [1] [2] |
| Prominence Ft: | 1225 |
| Isolation Mi: | 4.15 |
| Parent Peak: | Mount Antero (14,276 ft)[3] |
| Country: | United States |
| State: | Colorado |
| Region: | Chaffee County |
| Region Type: | County |
| Part Type: | Protected area |
| Part: | San Isabel National Forest |
| Range: | Rocky Mountains Sawatch Range |
| Map: | Colorado#USA |
| Coordinates: | 38.5863°N -106.3206°W |
| Coordinates Ref: | [4] |
| Topo: | USGS Garfield |
| Rock: | Quartz Monzonite Porphyry |
| Age: | Tertiary |
| Easiest Route: | hiking[5] |
Mount Aetna is a 13745feet mountain summit in Chaffee County, Colorado, United States.
Mount Aetna is set 1.5miles east of the Continental Divide in the Sawatch Range which is a subrange of the Rocky Mountains. The prominent mountain is located 19miles west of the community of Salida on land managed by San Isabel National Forest. It ranks as the 129th-highest peak in Colorado.[5] Precipitation runoff from the mountain's slopes drains to the South Arkansas River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 2750feet above the river's Middle Fork in 1miles. An ascent of the peak involves hiking 9miles with 4800feet of elevation gain.[1] Mount Aetna can be seen from Highway 50 at Monarch Pass.
The mountain is named for its symmetrical profile resemblance to Mount Etna, the famous volcano in Sicily.[6] A visually prominent talus gully on the south slope of the mountain creates an illusion of lava flowing down this pseudo-volcanic peak.[7] The mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names,[4] and has been featured in publications since at least 1910, if not earlier.[8]
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Mt. Aetna is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers.[9] 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.