El Diente Peak | |
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El Diente Peak from Mount Wilson
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Highest point | |
Elevation | 14,165 ft (4,317 m) |
Prominence | 239 ft (73 m) |
Isolation | 0.75 mi (1.21 km) |
Parent peak | Mount Wilson |
Coordinates | 37°50′22″N 108°00′19″W / 37.8394383°N 108.0053474°WCoordinates: 37°50′22″N 108°00′19″W / 37.8394383°N 108.0053474°W |
Naming | |
Translation | The Tooth (Spanish) |
Geography | |
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Location | Dolores County, Colorado, U.S. |
Parent range | San Miguel Mountains |
Topo map |
USGS 7.5' topographic map Dolores Peak, Colorado |
Climbing | |
Easiest route | Difficult scramble class 3 on loose rock |
El Diente Peak is a high summit in the San Miguel Mountains range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The 14,165-foot (4,317 m) peak is located in the Lizard Head Wilderness of San Juan National Forest, 10.5 miles (16.9 km) north by east (bearing 8°) of the Town of Rico in Dolores County, Colorado, United States. "El Diente" is Spanish for "The Tooth", a reference to the shape of the peak.
The topographic prominence of El Diente Peak is only 239 feet (73 m), so by a strict 300-foot (91 m) cutoff rule it would not be counted as a separate peak from its higher neighbor Mount Wilson. However the 3/4 mile (1.2 km) connecting ridge is a significant climbing challenge (Class 4/5), making El Diente more independent than its prominence would indicate. Hence it is often regarded as a full-fledged fourteener.
El Diente is one of the more dramatic peaks in Colorado in terms of local relief and steepness. As a result, it is one of the most challenging climbs among Colorado's fourteeners. All routes involve at least class 3 scrambling on loose talus, and poor route-finding can expose the climber to more difficult and dangerous terrain.