| Pawnee Peak | |
| Elevation Ft: | 12943 |
| Elevation Ref: | [1] [2] |
| Prominence Ft: | 420. |
| Prominence Ref: | [3] |
| Isolation Mi: | 0.49 |
| Parent Peak: | Apache Peak (13,441 ft)[4] |
| Etymology: | Pawnee people |
| Country: | United States |
| State: | Colorado |
| Region Type: | County |
| Part Type: | Protected area |
| Part: | Indian Peaks Wilderness |
| Range: | Rocky Mountains Front Range[5] |
| Map: | Colorado#USA |
| Coordinates: | 40.0814°N -105.6325°W |
| Coordinates Ref: | [6] |
| Topo: | USGS Monarch Lake |
| Rock: | Granite[7] |
| Age: | Mesoproterozoic |
| Easiest Route: | South slope |
Pawnee Peak is a 12943feet mountain summit on the boundary shared by Boulder County and Grand County, in Colorado, United States.[6]
Pawnee Peak is set on the Continental Divide in the Front Range which is a subrange of the Rocky Mountains.[5] The mountain is located 20miles west-northwest of Boulder in the Indian Peaks Wilderness, on land managed by Arapaho National Forest and Roosevelt National Forest. It is the ninth-highest summit in the wilderness and 18th-highest in Boulder County.[3] Precipitation runoff from the mountain's east slope drains to South St. Vrain Creek, whereas the west slope drains to Monarch Lake via Cascade Creek. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 2060feet above Pawnee Lake in 0.7 mile (1.1 km) and 1600feet above Blue Lake in 0.75 mile (1.2 km). An ascent of the peak involves hiking 10.5miles (round trip) with 2500feet of elevation gain.[8] The mountain was named by Ellsworth Bethel and the toponym was officially adopted on October 7, 1914, by the United States Board on Geographic Names.[6]
According to the Köppen climate classification system, the mountain 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.
Established climbing routes on Pawnee Peak:[2]