The Elk Mountains are a high, rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of west-central Colorado in the United States. The mountains sit on the western side of the Continental Divide, largely in southern Pitkin and northern Gunnison counties, in the area southwest of Aspen, south of the Roaring Fork River valley, and east of the Crystal River. The range sits west of the Sawatch Range and northeast of the West Elk Mountains. Much of the range is located within the White River National Forest and the Gunnison National Forest, as well as the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness and Raggeds Wilderness. The Elk Mountains rise nearly 9,000 ft. above the Roaring Fork Valley to the north.

The highest peaks in the range are its fourteeners, Castle Peak (14,265 ft), Maroon Peak (14,156 ft), Capitol Peak (14,130 ft), Snowmass Mountain (14,092 ft), Pyramid Peak (14,018 ft), and North Maroon Peak (14,014 ft). Maroon Peak and North Maroon Peak are collectively known as the Maroon Bells, a popular destination for recreation alpinism. Mount Sopris (12,953 ft) sits at the northwest end of the range and dominates the skyline of the lower Roaring Fork Valley and the town of Carbondale, Colorado, serving as an unofficial symbol of the area.

Notable peaks in the range include: Cathedral Peak, 13,950 ft (4,252 m), near Pyramid Peak Hagerman Peak, 13,841 ft (4,219 m), near Snowmass Mountain Snowmass Peak, 13,620 ft (4,151 m), near Hagerman Peak Clark Peak, 13,580 ft (4,139 m), near Capitol Peak Treasure Mountain, 13,528 ft (4,123 m), southwest of the Maroon Bells Mount Owen, 13,058 ft (3,980 m), high point of the Ruby Range Mount Sopris, 12,965 ft (3,952 m), north west of Capitol Peak Chair Mountain, 12,721 ft (3,877 m), high point of The Raggeds Crested Butte, 12,162 ft (3,706 m), home of Crested Butte Mountain Resort Whitehouse Mountain, 11,975 ft (3,650 m), northwest of Treasure Mountain

The range provides a formidable barrier to travel and is traversed only by backroad passes and trails, including Schofield Pass, Pearl Pass, and Taylor Pass. State Highway 133 traverses McClure Pass, at the western end of the range. The range has been the site of mining activity since the days of the Colorado Silver Boom, which saw the founding of mining towns such as Aspen and Ashcroft. In the late 19th century, the western and southern flank of the range became the site of intense coal mining activity which continues to the present day. Treasure Mountain, overlooking the town of Marble, is home to the famous Yule Marble Quarry. Quarried marble was used to create The Tomb of the Unknowns, the Lincoln Memorial, Denver Post Office and other buildings. The range receives a great deal of snowfall due to its position to the west of the continental divide and the westerly origin of many winter storms. This is exploited by the ski areas in the vicinity of Aspen, which are located on the flanks of smaller mountains alongside the Roaring Fork Valley.

Prominent peaks +The 10 Peaks of the Elk Mountains With At Least 500 Meters of Topographic ProminenceRankMountain PeakElevationProminenceIsolation1Castle Peak 4352.200 = 14,279 feet4352 m0720.852 = 2,365 feet721 m00033.71 = 20.9 miles33.7 km2Maroon Peak 4317.000 = 14,163 feet4317 m0712.013 = 2,336 feet712 m00012.97 = 8.1 miles13.0 km3Capitol Peak4308.816 = 14,137 feet4309 m0527.304 = 1,730 feet527 m00011.98 = 7.4 miles12.0 km4Pyramid PeakThe prominence of this summit comes from high-resolution Lidar data, which show the prominence to be greater than 500 meters.4274.700 = 14,025 feet4275 m0502.615 = 1,649 feet503 m00003.36 = 2.1 miles3.4 km5Treasure MountainThe elevation of this summit has been converted from the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29) to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88). National Geodetic Survey 4125.342 = 13,535 feet4125 m0859.841 = 2,821 feet860 m00011.13 = 6.9 miles11.1 km6Chair Mountain 3879.100 = 12,727 feet3879 m0750.113 = 2,461 feet750 m00014.30 = 8.9 miles14.3 km7Gothic Mountain 3850.036 = 12,631 feet3850 m0501.396 = 1,645 feet501 m00005.16 = 3.2 miles5.2 km8Matchless Mountain 3776.279 = 12,389 feet3776 m0537.362 = 1,763 feet537 m00015.47 = 9.6 miles15.5 km9Crested Butte 3708.918 = 12,168 feet3709 m0786.994 = 2,582 feet787 m00007.49 = 4.7 miles7.5 km10Huntsman Mountain Northwest 3614.201 = 11,858 feet3614 m0936.346 = 3,072 feet936 m00016.58 = 10.3 miles16.6 km

See also

West Elk Mountains

References

External links

Geology of the Elk Mountains

Elk Mountains