Coxcomb Peak
North aspect centered
(Redcliff to the left)
Highest point
Elevation13,656 ft (4,162 m)[1]
Prominence776 ft (237 m)[1]
Parent peakWetterhorn Peak (14,021 ft)[2]
Isolation1.82 mi (2.93 km)[2]
Coordinates38°04′48″N 107°32′02″W / 38.0799543°N 107.5337897°W / 38.0799543; -107.5337897[3]
Naming
EtymologyCockscomb
Geography
Coxcomb Peak is located in Colorado
Coxcomb Peak
Coxcomb Peak
Location in Colorado
Coxcomb Peak is located in the United States
Coxcomb Peak
Coxcomb Peak
Coxcomb Peak (the United States)
LocationHinsdale County / Ouray County
Colorado, US
Parent rangeRocky Mountains
San Juan Mountains
Topo mapUSGS Wetterhorn Peak
Climbing
First ascent1929, Henry Buchtel
Easiest routeclass 5.3 climbing[2] SW Chimney

Coxcomb Peak is a 13,656-foot-elevation (4,162-meter) mountain summit located on the common boundary of Hinsdale County and Ouray County, in Colorado, United States.[3] It is situated nine miles northeast of the community of Ouray, in the Uncompahgre Wilderness, on land managed by Uncompahgre National Forest. It is part of the San Juan Mountains which are a subset of the Rocky Mountains, and is situated west of the Continental Divide. Coxcomb ranks as the 171st-highest peak in Colorado,[2] and topographic relief is significant as the south aspect rises 2,000 feet (610 meters) above Wetterhorn Basin in approximately one mile, and 4,400 feet (1,300 meters) above Cow Creek in three miles. Neighbors include Precipice Peak 2.7 miles to the north, Redcliff one-half mile north, Matterhorn Peak 2.3 miles to the east-southeast, and nearest higher neighbor Wetterhorn Peak 1.8 mile to the southeast. The mountain's descriptive name, which has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names, was in use since at least 1906 when Henry Gannett published it in the Gazetteer of Colorado.[4]

Climbing

The first ascent of the summit was made August 16, 1929, by Henry Buchtel and party via the Southwest Chimney.[5] There is also an established climbing route on the North Face that was first climbed in August 1965 by Dick Yeatts, Mike Stults, Dick Guadagno, and Martin Etter.[6][7] The best approach is via the valley of West Fork Cimarron River.[8]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Coxcomb Peak is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers.[9] 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. Precipitation runoff from the mountain's north aspect drains into tributaries of the Cimarron River, and from the south slope into tributaries of the Uncompahgre River.

Redcliff (left) and Coxcomb Peak (centered)

See also

References

Coxcomb Peak from southwest
  1. ^ a b "Coxcomb Peak, Colorado". Peakbagger.com.
  2. ^ a b c d "Coxcomb Peak - 13,656' CO". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2021-07-01.
  3. ^ a b "Coxcomb Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2021-07-01.
  4. ^ Henry Gannett, Gazetteer of Colorado, 1906, US Government Printing Office, page 50.
  5. ^ Jeff Rennicke, 1986, Colorado Mountain Ranges, Falcon Press, ISBN 9780934318662.
  6. ^ Robert F. Rosebrough, The San Juan Mountains: A Climbing & Hiking Guide, Cordillera Press, 1986, page 213.
  7. ^ Randy Jacobs, 2000, Guide to the Colorado Mountains, Colorado Mountain Club Press, ISBN 9780967146607, page 261.
  8. ^ Mike Garratt, Bob Martin, 1992, Colorado's High Thirteeners: A Climbing and Hiking Guide, Johnson Books, ISBN 9780917895395, page 108.
  9. ^ 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

Mountains of Colorado
Categories