Elk Mountain (Routt County, Colorado)

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Elk Mountain
The Sleeping Giant
Elk Mountain (Routt County, Colorado).JPG
The mountain as seen from Routt County Road 129.
Highest point
Elevation 2,660 m (8,730 ft) [1]
Prominence 507 m (1,663 ft) [2]
Isolation 20.55 km (12.77 mi) [2]
Coordinates 40°34′09″N106°58′06″W / 40.56917°N 106.96833°W / 40.56917; -106.96833
Geography
USA Colorado relief location map.svg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Elk Mountain
Parent range Elkhead Mountains
Topo map Mad Creek

Elk Mountain is a summit in Routt County, Colorado. The mountain lies to the northwest of Steamboat Springs and is easily seen from the city, especially from along Lincoln Avenue (U.S. Route 40), Steamboat's main street. The mountain is also easily seen from Mount Werner, the home of the Steamboat Ski Resort.

The Elk River flows near the mountain just before its confluence with the Yampa River in the Yampa Valley.

Legends and names

Locals refer to the mountain as "The Sleeping Giant," due to its resemblance to the profile of a prone person at sleep when viewed from Mount Werner or Steamboat Springs, and have created legends to explain this appearance. [3] [4] [5]

There are at least six other summits also named Elk Mountain in Colorado. This Elk Mountain in Routt County is not part of the Elk Mountains in West Central Colorado. Instead, it is one of the easternmost peaks in the Elkhead Mountains.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Routt County, Colorado</span> County in Colorado, United States

Routt County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,829. The county seat is Steamboat Springs. Routt County comprises the Steamboat Springs, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moffat County, Colorado</span> County in Colorado, United States

Moffat County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,292. The county seat is Craig. With an area of 4,751 square miles, it is the second-largest county by area in Colorado, behind Las Animas County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig, Colorado</span> City in Moffat County, Colorado, U.S.

Craig is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Moffat County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 9,060 at the 2020 United States Census. Craig is the principal city of the Craig, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hayden, Colorado</span> Town in Colorado, United States

The Town of Hayden is a home rule municipality located in Routt County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 1,941 at the 2020 United States Census. Hayden is a part of the Steamboat Springs, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area. The town sits along U.S. Highway 40 in the Yampa River Valley between Craig and Steamboat Springs. Hayden is located near the Yampa Valley Regional Airport, by which Hayden is one of the smallest communities in the U.S. to have mainline passenger jet service provided by American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines on a scheduled basis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steamboat Springs, Colorado</span> City in Colorado, United States

Steamboat Springs is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Routt County, Colorado. The population was 13,224 at the 2020 census. Steamboat Springs is the principal city of the Steamboat Springs Micropolitan Statistical Area, and it is the largest city in northwestern Colorado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yampa River</span> River in Moffat and Routt counties in Colorado, United States

The Yampa River flows 250 miles (400 km) through northwestern Colorado, United States. Rising in the Rocky Mountains, it is a tributary of the Green River and a major part of the Colorado River system. The Yampa is one of the few free-flowing rivers in the western United States, with only a few small dams and diversions.

Sleeping Giant or The Sleeping Giant may refer to:

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gore Range</span>

The Gore Range is a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of north central Colorado in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Park Range (Colorado)</span> Mountain range in Colorado, United States

The Park Range, elevation approximately 3,712 metres (12,178 ft), is a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of northwestern Colorado in the United States. The range forms a relatively isolated part of the Continental Divide, extending north-to-south for approximately 170 kilometres (110 mi) along the boundary between Jackson (east) and Routt counties. It separates North Park in the upper basin of the North Platte River on the east from the Elk River basin in the watershed of the Yampa River the west. It rises steeply out of the Yampa River basin, forming a climatic barrier that receives much snowfall in winter. The northern end of the range lies in Wyoming and is known as the Sierra Madre Range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rollins Pass</span> Colorado mountain pass and archaeological site

Rollins Pass, elevation 11,676 ft (3,559 m), is a mountain pass and active archaeological site in the Southern Rocky Mountains of north-central Colorado in the United States. The pass is located on and traverses the Continental Divide of the Americas at the crest of the Front Range southwest of Boulder and is located approximately five miles east and opposite the resort in Winter Park—in the general area between Winter Park and Rollinsville. Rollins Pass is at the boundaries of Boulder, Gilpin, and Grand counties. Over the past 10,000 years, the pass provided a route over the Continental Divide between the Atlantic Ocean watershed of South Boulder Creek with the Pacific Ocean watershed of the Fraser River, a tributary of the Colorado River.

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White River National Forest is a National Forest in northwest Colorado. It is named after the White River that passes through its northern section. It is the most visited National Forest in the United States, primarily from users of the twelve ski areas within its boundaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flat Tops Wilderness Area</span>

Flat Tops Wilderness Area is the second largest U.S. Wilderness Area in Colorado. It is 235,214 acres (951.88 km2), with 38,870 acres (157.3 km2) in Routt National Forest and 196,344 acres (794.58 km2) in White River National Forest. It was designated a wilderness area in 1975. Trappers Lake, located in the north of the area, was the lake that inspired Arthur Carhart, a United States Forest Service official, to plead for wilderness preservation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yampa Valley Airport</span> Airport in Colorado, United States of America

Yampa Valley Regional Airport is in Routt County, Colorado, United States, serving the communities of Steamboat Springs, Hayden, and Craig, Colorado. The airport is two miles southeast of Hayden, about 20 miles east of Craig and about 25 miles (40 km) west of Steamboat Springs. It has the only scheduled passenger flights in northwest Colorado. It is also used by larger business jets that cannot use the smaller Steamboat Springs Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steamboat Ski Resort</span> Ski area in Colorado, United States

Steamboat Resort is a major ski area in the western United States, located in northwestern Colorado at Steamboat Springs. Operated by the Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation, it is located on Mount Werner, a mountain in the Park Range in the Routt National Forest. Originally named Storm Mountain ski area, it opened on January 12, 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Werner</span> Mountain in Colorado, United States

Mount Werner is a mountain summit in the Park Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The 10,570-foot (3,222 m) peak is located in Routt National Forest, 4.6 miles (7.4 km) east-southeast of the City of Steamboat Springs in Routt County, Colorado, United States. The mountain was renamed in 1964 in honor of skier Buddy Werner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medicine Bow–Routt National Forest</span> U.S. Forest Service managed area

Medicine Bow–Routt National Forest is the official title to a U.S. Forest Service managed area extending over 2,222,313 acres (8,993.38 km2) in the states of Wyoming and Colorado, United States. What were once three separate areas, Medicine Bow National Forest, Routt National Forest, and Thunder Basin National Grassland were administratively combined in 1995 due to similarity of the resources, proximity to each other and for administrative purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stagecoach State Park</span> State park in Colorado, United States

Stagecoach State Park is a Colorado State Park located in Routt County 17 miles (27 km) south of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The 1,641-acre (6.64 km2) park established in 1989 includes a 771-acre (3.12 km2) reservoir on the Yampa River formed by Stagecoach Dam. Facilities include a marina, boat ramps, campsites, picnic sites and 8 miles (13 km) of trails. Park uplands are montane shrub communities, with riparian areas and wetlands around the reservoir and along the river. Commonly sighted wildlife includes elk, mule deer, coyote, red fox and badger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elk River (Colorado)</span> Stream in Routt County, Colorado, United States

Elk River is a 34.2-mile-long (55.0 km) stream in Routt County, Colorado, United States. It flows from a confluence of the North Fork Elk River and Middle Fork Elk River in Routt National Forest north of Steamboat Springs to a confluence with the Yampa River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Zirkel</span> Mountain in the state of Colorado

Mount Zirkel is the highest summit of the Park Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The prominent 12,185-foot (3,714 m) peak is located in the Mount Zirkel Wilderness of Routt National Forest, 25.9 miles (41.7 km) north-northeast of the City of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, United States, on the Continental Divide between Jackson and Routt counties. Mount Zirkel was named in honor of German geologist Ferdinand Zirkel.

References

  1. "Elk Mountain". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. 1 2 "Elk Mountain, Colorado". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
  3. Visit Steamboat. The Legend of the Sleeping Giant. Viewed September 9, 2016.
  4. Steamboat Blog, Steamboat Springs Chamber of Commerce. The Legend of the Sleeping Giant Archived 2017-10-03 at the Wayback Machine . Viewed October 2, 2017.
  5. summitpost.org The Sleeping Giant (Elk Mountain). Viewed October 2, 2017.