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Needle Mountains (Colorado)
Encyclopedia
The Needle Mountains are a subrange of the San Juan Mountains
of the Rocky Mountains
located in the southwestern part of the U.S. State of Colorado. Much of the range is protected in the Weminuche Wilderness
of the San Juan National Forest
. The range is notable for having some of the most rugged mountains in the state, and includes many technical climbs
and scrambles
. A small but dramatic east-west subrange in the northern section is known as the Grenadier Range.
Notable peaks include:
San Juan Mountains
The San Juan Mountains are a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado. The area is highly mineralized and figured in the gold and silver mining industry of early Colorado. Major towns, all old mining camps, include Creede, Lake City, Silverton, Ouray, and...
of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
located in the southwestern part of the U.S. State of Colorado. Much of the range is protected in the Weminuche Wilderness
Weminuche Wilderness
The Weminuche Wilderness is a wilderness area in southwest Colorado managed by the United States Forest Service as part of the San Juan National Forest on the west side of the Continental Divide and the Rio Grande National Forest on the east side of the divide. It is about 5 miles south east of...
of the San Juan National Forest
San Juan National Forest
The San Juan National Forest is a U.S. National Forest covering over 1,878,846 acres in Archuleta, Conjeos, Dolores, Hinsdale, La Plata, Mineral, Montezuma, Rio Grande, San Miguel and San Juan Counties in western Colorado. It borders the Uncompahgre National Forest to the north and the Rio Grande...
. The range is notable for having some of the most rugged mountains in the state, and includes many technical climbs
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
and scrambles
Scrambling
Scrambling is a method of ascending rocky faces and ridges. It is an ambiguous term that lies somewhere between hillwalking and rock climbing. It is often distinguished from hillwalking by defining a scramble as a route where hands must be used in the ascent...
. A small but dramatic east-west subrange in the northern section is known as the Grenadier Range.
Notable peaks include:
- Mount EolusMount EolusMount Eolus is a fourteener in the U.S. state of Colorado, the highest of the Needle Mountains . It is located in the Weminuche Wilderness in La Plata County approximately south of Silverton.Mount Eolus is one of three fourteeners in the Needle Mountains; the others are Sunlight Peak and Windom...
, 14,083 ft - Windom PeakWindom PeakWindom Peak is a fourteener in the Needle Mountains, a subrange of the San Juan Mountains in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the Weminuche Wilderness in La Plata County approximately south of Silverton....
, 14,082 ft - Sunlight PeakSunlight PeakSunlight Peak is a fourteener in the Needle Mountains, a subrange of the San Juan Mountains in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the Weminuche Wilderness in La Plata County approximately 13 miles south of Silverton.Sunlight Peak is one of three fourteeners in the Needle Mountains; the...
, 14,059 ft - Pigeon PeakPigeon PeakPigeon Peak is a high peak of the Needle Mountains, a subrange of the San Juan Mountains in the southwestern part of the US State of Colorado. It rises dramatically on the east side of the Animas River, west of the fourteener Mount Eolus...
, 13,972 ft - Vestal Peak, 13,864 ft (Grenadier Range)
- Turret Peak (Colorado)Turret Peak (Colorado)Turret Peak is a high peak of the Needle Mountains, a subrange of the San Juan Mountains in the southwestern part of the US State of Colorado. It rises on the east side of the Animas River, southeast of Pigeon Peak...
, 13,835 ft - Jagged Mountain (Colorado), 13,824 ft
- Arrow Peak, 13,803 ft (Grenadier Range)
- Animas Mountain, 13,786 ft
- Storm King Peak, 13,752 ft (Grenadier Range)
- Mount Silex, 13,628 ft
- The Guardian (Colorado), 13,617 ft
- Leviathan Peak, 13,528 ft
- Vallecito Mountain, 13,428 ft
- Mount Garfield, 13,074 ft
See also
- Geography of ColoradoGeography of ColoradoThe geography of the state of Colorado is diverse, encompassing both rugged mountainous terrain, vast plains, desert lands, desert canyons, and mesas. The state of Colorado is defined as the geospherical rectangle that stretches from 37°N to 41°N latitude and from 102°03'W to 109°03'W longitude . ...
- Grenadier Range
- Mountain peaks of ColoradoMountain peaks of ColoradoThis article comprises three sortable tables of the major mountain peaks of the U.S. State of Colorado.Topographic elevation is the vertical distance above the reference geoid, a precise mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface...
- Mountain peaks of the Rocky MountainsMountain peaks of the Rocky MountainsThis article comprises three sortable tables of major mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains of North America.Topographic elevation is the vertical distance above the reference geoid, a precise mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface...
- Mountain ranges of ColoradoMountain ranges of ColoradoThe following table lists the major mountain ranges of the U.S. State of Colorado.-Mountain Ranges:-See also:*4000 meter peaks of Colorado*Colorado mountain passes*Geography of Colorado*Lists of mountains*Mountain peaks of Colorado...
- Rocky MountainsRocky MountainsThe Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
- San Juan MountainsSan Juan MountainsThe San Juan Mountains are a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado. The area is highly mineralized and figured in the gold and silver mining industry of early Colorado. Major towns, all old mining camps, include Creede, Lake City, Silverton, Ouray, and...
- State of Colorado
- West Needle Mountains