Elbert Massif
| Mount Elbert | |
|---|---|
Mount Elbert seen from Turquoise Lake
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 14,440 ft (4401.2 m) NAVD88 |
| Prominence | 9093 ft (2772 m) |
| Isolation | 671 mi (1079 km) |
| Listing | |
| Coordinates | 39°07′04″N 106°26′43″W / 39.1177508°N 106.4453584°WCoordinates: 39°07′04″N 106°26′43″W / 39.1177508°N 106.4453584°W |
| Geography | |
 Mount Elbert
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| Location | High point of Lake County and the State of Colorado, U.S. |
| Parent range |
Highest summit of the Rocky Mountains, Southern Rocky Mountains, Sawatch Range, and Elbert Massif |
| Topo map |
USGS 7.5' topographic map Mount Elbert, Colorado |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1874 by Henry W. Stuckle |
| Easiest route | trail Hike (class 1) |
Mount Elbert is the highest summit of the Rocky Mountains of North America and the highest point in the U.S. state of Colorado and the entire Mississippi River drainage basin. The ultra-prominent 14,440-foot (4401.2 m) fourteener is the highest peak in the Sawatch Range and the second-highest summit in the contiguous United States after Mount Whitney. Mount Elbert is located in San Isabel National Forest, 12.1 miles (19.4 km) southwest (bearing 223°) of the City of Leadville in Lake County, Colorado.
The mountain was named in honor of Colorado statesman Samuel Hitt Elbert, who was active in the formative period of the state and Governor of the Territory of Colorado from 1873 to 1874. Henry W. Stuckle of the Hayden Survey was the first to record an ascent of the peak, in 1874. The easiest and most popular climbing routes are categorized as Class 1 to 2 or A+ in mountaineering parlance. Mount Elbert is therefore often referred to as the "gentle giant" that tops all others in the Rocky Mountains.
Mount Elbert is visible to the southwest of Leadville, often snow-capped even in the summer. Many other fourteeners surround Elbert in all directions, and it is very close to central Colorado's Collegiate Peaks. The neighboring Mount Massive, to the north, is the second-highest peak in the Rocky Mountains and the third-highest in the contiguous United States, and La Plata Peak, to the south, is the fifth-highest in the Rockies. The community of Twin Lakes lies at the base of Mount Elbert, Denver is about 130 miles (209 km) to the east, Vail is 50 miles (80 km) to the north, and Aspen is 40 miles (64 km) to the west. Leadville, about 16 miles (26 km) to the northeast, is the nearest large town. Elbert's parent peak is Mount Whitney in California. Including Alaska and Hawaii, Mount Elbert is the fourteenth-highest mountain in the United States.
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Wikipedia