Mount Champion

Mount Champion
Southwest aspect, center
Highest point
Elevation13,646 ft (4,159 m)[1][2]
Prominence286 ft (87 m)[2]
Parent peakPeak 13738[3]
Isolation0.6 mi (0.97 km)[2]
Coordinates39°07′56″N 106°31′17″W / 39.1320898°N 106.5214710°W / 39.1320898; -106.5214710[4]
Geography
Mount Champion is located in Colorado
Mount Champion
Mount Champion
Location in Colorado
Mount Champion is located in the United States
Mount Champion
Mount Champion
Mount Champion (the United States)
CountryUnited States
StateColorado
CountyLake County
Protected areaSan Isabel National Forest
Parent rangeRocky Mountains
Sawatch Range
Topo mapUSGS Mount Champion
Geology
Type of rockQuartz Monzonite[5]
Climbing
Easiest routeclass 2 hiking[3]

Mount Champion is a 13,646-foot (4,159 m) mountain summit in Lake County, Colorado, United States.

Description[edit]

Mount Champion is set 2 miles (3.2 km) east of the Continental Divide in the Sawatch Range which is a subrange of the Rocky Mountains. The mountain is located 17 miles (27 km) east of the community of Aspen on land managed by San Isabel National Forest. Mount Champion can be seen from State Highway 82 at Independence Pass. It ranks as the 173rd-highest peak in Colorado.[3] Precipitation runoff from the mountain's slopes drains into tributaries of the Arkansas River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 2,450 feet (747 m) above North Fork Lake Creek in 0.75 miles (1.21 km). An ascent of the peak involves hiking six miles (9.7 km) with 3,400 feet (1,036 m) of elevation gain.[1]

Mt. Champion in summer from Highway 82

History[edit]

Tingley S. Wood discovered gold on Mount Champion in 1881.[6] The Champion Mine extracted gold and silver-bearing quartz and an aerial tramway transported the ore from the mine to the Champion Mill. The crushed ore was then transported by wagon to Leadville. The mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names,[4] and has been featured in publications since at least 1898.[7]

Climate[edit]

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Mt. Champion is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers.[8] 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.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Mike Garratt, Bob Martin (1984), Colorado's High Thirteeners, Johnson Books, ISBN 9780917895395, p. 33.
  2. ^ a b c "Mount Champion, Colorado". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "Champion, Mount - 13,645' CO". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Mount Champion". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  5. ^ Lexicon of Geologic Names of the United States (1936), U.S. Government Printing Office, p. 2625.
  6. ^ John Kenneth Aldrich (1988), My Favorite Ghosts, Centennial Graphics, ISBN 9781883425005, p. 14.
  7. ^ Colorado State Mining Directory (1898), Western Mining Directory Company Pub., p. 286.
  8. ^ 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.

External links[edit]