Mount Elbert

Mount Elbert
Mount Elbert from U.S. Route 24
Elevation	14,440 ft (4,401 m) NAVD 88[1]
Prominence	9,073 ft (2,765 m) [2]
Listing	Ultra Colorado Fourteener U.S. state high point
Location
Mount Elbert Colorado
Location	Lake County, Colorado, USA
Range	Sawatch Range
Coordinates	39°07′03.90″N 106°26′43.29″W / 39.11775°N 106.4453583°W / 39.11775; -106.4453583Coordinates: 39°07′03.90″N 106°26′43.29″W / 39.11775°N 106.4453583°W / 39.11775; -106.4453583[1]
Topo map	USGS Mount Elbert
Climbing
First ascent	1874 by H. W. Stuckle
Easiest route	Hike (class 2)

Mount Elbert is the highest peak in the Rocky Mountains of North America, at 14,440 feet (4,401 m), the highest of the fourteeners in Colorado, and the high point of the Sawatch Range. It is located in Lake County, approximately 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Leadville. It lies within the San Isabel National Forest.

The mountain was named after Colorado statesman Samuel Hitt Elbert, who was active in the formative period of the State.

Mount Elbert is the second highest mountain in the contiguous United States, after Mount Whitney in California, and is only 65 feet (20 m) shorter than Whitney's 14,505 feet (4,421 m).

There are three main routes up the mountain, all of which gain over 4,000 feet (1,200 m) of elevation. The standard route ascends the peak from the east, starting from the Colorado Trail. The most difficult is the Black Cloud Trail, which takes ten to fourteen hours depending on the pace, and has 5,300 feet (1,600 m) of elevation gain. Nearby fourteeners include Mount Massive to the north and La Plata Peak to the south.

See also

• List of Colorado fourteeners
• List of U.S. states by elevation
• Mountain peaks of Colorado
• Mountain ranges of Colorado

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Mount Elbert". NGS data sheet. U.S. National Geodetic Survey. http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/ds_mark.prl?PidBox=KL0637. Retrieved 2008-12-05. 
2. ^ "Mount Elbert, Colorado". Peakbagger.com. http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=5736. Retrieved 2008-12-05. 

External links

Media related to Mount Elbert at Wikimedia Commons

• "Mount Elbert". TrailGuru.com. http://www.trailguru.com/wiki/index.php?title=Mount_Elbert. Retrieved 2008-12-05. 
• "Mount Elbert". Bivouac.com. http://www.bivouac.com/MtnPg.asp?MtnId=9145. Retrieved 2008-12-05. 
• "Trip report from Mount Elbert". HikinginTheRockies.com. http://www.hikingintherockies.com/fourteeners/elbert/elbert.htm. Retrieved 2008-12-05. 
• "Mount Elbert (Photo Essay)". hikingincolorado.org. http://www.hikingincolorado.org/elbt.html. Retrieved 2009-07-17. 
• "Mount Elbert". Peakery.com. http://peakery.com/Mount-Elbert/. Retrieved 2011-09-01. 

Mount Elbert in June