| Mount Stratus | |
| Elevation Ft: | 12534 |
| Elevation Ref: | [1] |
| Prominence Ft: | 139 |
| Isolation Mi: | 0.44 |
| Parent Peak: | Mount Nimbus (12,721 ft) |
| Etymology: | Stratus cloud |
| Country: | United States |
| State: | Colorado |
| Region: | Grand County |
| Region Type: | County |
| Part Type: | Protected area |
| Part: | Rocky Mountain National Park Never Summer Wilderness |
| Range: | Rocky Mountains Never Summer Mountains |
| Map: | Colorado#USA |
| Label Position: | right |
| Coordinates: | 40.3902°N -105.9035°W |
| Coordinates Ref: | [2] |
| Topo: | USGS Mount Richthofen[3] |
| Rock: | Biotite Gneiss and Schist[4] |
| Easiest Route: | West slope or North ridge[5] |
Mount Stratus is a 12534feet mountain summit in Grand County, Colorado, United States.
Mount Stratus is the ninth-highest peak of the Never Summer Mountains which are a subrange of the Rocky Mountains.[6] The mountain is situated on the western boundary of Rocky Mountain National Park and is visible from Trail Ridge Road within the park. The west side of the peak is in the Never Summer Wilderness which is managed by Arapaho National Forest. Precipitation runoff from the mountain's slopes drains into tributaries of the Colorado River except for a portion which is diverted by the Grand Ditch. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 3600abbr=offNaNabbr=off above the Kawuneeche Valley in 2.5miles and 1700abbr=offNaNabbr=off above Baker Gulch in three-quarters of a mile. An ascent of the peak involves hiking 12.8miles round-trip with 3555feet of elevation gain.[7]
The mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names.[2] [8] In 1914, James Grafton Rogers named Mount Cirrus, Mount Nimbus, and Mount Cumulus for different types of common clouds, but he did not name Mt. Stratus, it was added later.[9]
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Mount Stratus is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers.[10] 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.