Redcliff (Colorado)

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Redcliff
Fortress, Redcliff, Coxcomb.jpg
Redcliff centered, view from Courthouse Mountain
{Fortress Peak left, Coxcomb Peak right}
Highest point
Elevation 13,642 ft (4,158 m) [1] [2]
Prominence 482 ft (147 m) [1]
Parent peak Coxcomb Peak (13,656 ft) [3]
Isolation 0.49 mi (0.79 km) [3]
Coordinates 38°05′14″N107°31′59″W / 38.0871595°N 107.5331686°W / 38.0871595; -107.5331686 Coordinates: 38°05′14″N107°31′59″W / 38.0871595°N 107.5331686°W / 38.0871595; -107.5331686 [4]
Geography
USA Colorado relief location map.svg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Redcliff
Location in Colorado
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Redcliff
Redcliff (the United States)
Location Hinsdale County
Colorado, US
Parent range Rocky Mountains
San Juan Mountains
Topo map USGS Wetterhorn Peak
Geology
Type of rock tuff
Climbing
Easiest route class 2 [3] South ridge

Redcliff is a 13,642-foot-elevation (4,158-meter) mountain summit located in Hinsdale County, in southwest Colorado, United States. [4] It is situated nine miles northeast of the town of Ouray, in the Uncompahgre Wilderness, on land managed by Uncompahgre National Forest. It is part of the San Juan Mountains which are a subset of the Rocky Mountains, and is situated west of the Continental Divide. Redcliff ranks as the 175th-highest peak in Colorado, [3] and topographic relief is significant as the west aspect rises 2,300 feet (700 meters) above the West Fork Cimarron River valley in approximately one mile. Neighbors include Precipice Peak and Dunsinane Mountain along the west-middle Cimarron divide three miles to the north, and nearest higher neighbor Coxcomb Peak one-half mile to the south. An ascent of Redcliff involves 3,300 feet of elevation gain and 10 miles of hiking, round-trip. [2] The mountain's name was proposed by the Colorado Mountain Club, and was officially adopted in 1966 by the United States Board on Geographic Names. [4] It is so named because of a large reddish-colored cliff on the mountain's east face. [5]

Contents

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Redcliff is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers. [6] 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. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into headwaters of both the west and middle forks of the Cimarron River.

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chimney Rock (Colorado)</span>

Chimney Rock is an 11,781-foot-elevation (3,591-meter) pillar located on the shared boundary of Hinsdale County with Ouray County, in southwest Colorado, United States. It is situated 10.5 miles east of the community of Ridgway, and immediately south of Owl Creek Pass, in the Uncompahgre Wilderness, on land managed by Uncompahgre National Forest. Owl Creek Pass separates Chimney Rock from Cimarron Ridge to the north. It is part of the San Juan Mountains which are a subset of the Rocky Mountains, and is situated west of the Continental Divide. Topographic relief is significant as the east aspect rises 1,600 feet above West Fork Cimarron River in one-half mile. Chimney Rock can be seen from Highway 550 near Ridgway. This feature's name was officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names in 1966, prior to that it was known as Chimney Peak. The first ascent was made in 1934 by Melvin Griffiths and Robert Ormes via the 400-foot south face, which is the only established climbing route.

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Dunsinane Mountain, or officially Dunsinane, is a 12,742-foot-elevation (3,884-meter) mountain summit located in Hinsdale County, of Colorado, United States. It is situated 11 miles east of the community of Ridgway, in the Uncompahgre Wilderness, on land managed by Uncompahgre National Forest. It is part of the San Juan Mountains which are a subset of the Rocky Mountains, and is situated west of the Continental Divide. Topographic relief is significant as the east aspect rises 2,500 feet above the Middle Fork Cimarron River valley in approximately one mile. The mountain's name was officially adopted as Dunsinane by the United States Board on Geographic Names in 1966, and is so named because it resembles the castle Dunsinane of Shakespeare's Macbeth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Courthouse Mountain</span>

Courthouse Mountain is a 12,152-foot-elevation (3,704-meter) mountain summit located on the shared boundary of Hinsdale County with Ouray County, in southwest Colorado, United States. It is situated 10.5 miles east of the community of Ridgway, and south of Owl Creek Pass, in the Uncompahgre Wilderness, on land managed by Uncompahgre National Forest. It is part of the San Juan Mountains which are a subset of the Rocky Mountains, and is situated west of the Continental Divide. Topographic relief is significant as the east aspect rises nearly 2,000 feet above West Fork Cimarron River in approximately one-half mile, and with its prominence can be seen from Highway 550 near Ridgway. The mountain's name, which has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names, was in use before 1906 when Henry Gannett published it in the Gazetteer of Colorado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildhorse Peak</span>

Wildhorse Peak is a 13,266-foot-elevation (4,043-meter) mountain summit located in Ouray County, of Colorado, United States. It is situated five miles east of the community of Ouray, in the Uncompahgre Wilderness, on land managed by Uncompahgre National Forest. It is part of the San Juan Mountains which are a subset of the Rocky Mountains, and is situated west of the Continental Divide. Neighbors include Darley Mountain 2.2 miles to the south, and Abrams Mountain five miles to the southwest. This distinctive peak abruptly rises 1,000 feet above the alpine tundra of American Flats, and topographic relief is significant as the northwest aspect rises 1,600 feet above Wildhorse Creek in less than one mile. The peak can be seen from Montrose and Highway 550. The first ascent of the summit was made August 25, 1899, by Eli Stanton, F. H. Stanton, and William Killen. The mountain's name, which has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names, was in use in 1906 when Henry Gannett published it in A Gazetteer of Colorado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurricane Peak</span>

Hurricane Peak is a 13,447-foot-elevation (4,099-meter) mountain summit located in San Juan County of southwest Colorado, United States. It is situated equidistant between the historic towns of Ouray and Silverton, and is approximately nine miles west of the Continental Divide. It is part of the San Juan Mountains which are a subset of the Rocky Mountains. Topographic relief is significant as the north aspect rises 1,200 feet above Lake Como in one-half mile. Neighbors include Abrams Mountain 3.4 miles to the north, and Red Mountain 2.2 miles to the west. The Mountain Queen Mine, which is located on the east slope of Hurricane Peak at the head of California Gulch, is one of the oldest workings in the area and was most active from 1878 to 1880. The mountain's name, which has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names, was in use in 1906 when Henry Gannett published it in the Gazetteer of Colorado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lookout Peak (Colorado)</span>

Lookout Peak is a 13,661-foot-elevation (4,164-meter) mountain summit located on the shared boundary of San Juan County with San Miguel County, in southwest Colorado, United States. It is situated three miles east of the community of Ophir, and one mile immediately north of Ophir Pass, on land managed by San Juan National Forest and Uncompahgre National Forest. Lookout Peak is part of the San Juan Mountains which are a subset of the Rocky Mountains, and is west of the Continental Divide. It ranks as the 166th-highest peak in Colorado, and topographic relief is significant as the west aspect rises 3,000 feet in approximately one mile. Neighbors include Silver Mountain three miles to the west-northwest, Wasatch Mountain two miles north-northwest, and Golden Horn five miles south-southwest. The mountain's name, which has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names, was in use in 1899 when Henry Gannett published it in A Dictionary of Altitudes in the United States, and in 1906 when he published it in A Gazetteer of Colorado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pilot Knob (Colorado)</span> Mountain summit in southwest Colorado

Pilot Knob is a 13,738-foot-elevation (4,187-meter) mountain summit located on the shared boundary of San Juan County with San Miguel County, in southwest Colorado, United States. It is situated nine miles west of the community of Silverton, on land managed by San Juan National Forest and Uncompahgre National Forest. Pilot Knob is part of the San Juan Mountains which are a subset of the Rocky Mountains, and is west of the Continental Divide. It ranks as the 132nd-highest peak in Colorado, and topographic relief is significant as the west aspect rises 4,000 feet above Trout Lake in three miles. Neighbors include Ulysses S Grant Peak 1.5 mile to the northeast, and Golden Horn one-half mile to the southeast. The mountain's name, which has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names, was listed by Henry Gannett when he published A Gazetteer of Colorado in 1906. The peak is considered one of the most difficult to climb in Colorado because of its poor quality volcanic rock.

References

  1. 1 2 "Redcliff, Colorado". Peakbagger.com.
  2. 1 2 Mike Garratt, Bob Martin, 1992, Colorado's High Thirteeners: A Climbing and Hiking Guide, Johnson Books, ISBN   9780917895395, page 108.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Redcliff - 13,642' CO". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  4. 1 2 3 "Redcliff". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  5. United States Board on Geographic Names, Decisions on Geographic Names in the United States, Decision List No. 6602, 1966, page 9.
  6. Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11. ISSN   1027-5606.