Wood Mountain is a 13,682-foot-elevation (4,170 meter) summit located on the boundary shared by Hinsdale County with San Juan County, in Colorado, United States.
| Wood Mountain | |
|---|---|
 Southwest aspect | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 13,682 ft (4,170 m)[1] |
| Prominence | 295 ft (90 m)[1] |
| Isolation | 0.47 mi (0.76 km)[1] |
| Coordinates | 37°56′51″N 107°32′17″W / 37.9474562°N 107.5380624°W[2] |
| Geography | |
  Wood Mountain Location in Colorado  Wood Mountain Wood Mountain (the United States) | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Colorado |
| County | Hinsdale / San Juan |
| Parent range | Rocky Mountains San Juan Mountains[3] |
| Topo map | USGS Handies Peak |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | class 2 hiking[1] |
Description
editWood Mountain is situated nine miles southeast of the community of Ouray on land administered by the Bureau of Land Management. It is set west of the Continental Divide in the San Juan Mountains which are a subset of the Rocky Mountains. Precipitation runoff from the mountain's north slope drains to Henson Creek which is a tributary of the Gunnison River, the east aspect drains into the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River, and the southwest slope drains to the Animas River via Cinnamon Creek. Topographic relief is modest as the summit rises approximately 3,100 feet (940 meters) above Henson Creek in two miles (3.2 km). Access to the mountain is via the Alpine Loop Back Country Byway. The mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names,[2] and has been recorded in publications since at least 1906.[4]
Climate
editAccording to the Köppen climate classification system, Wood Mountain is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers.[5] 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. Hikers can expect afternoon rain, hail, and lightning from the seasonal monsoon in late July and August.
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Wood Mountain - 13,682' CO". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ^ a b "Wood Mountain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ^ "Wood Mountain, Colorado". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ^ Henry Gannett, United States Geological Survey (1906), A Gazetteer of Colorado, US Government Printing Office, p. 184.
- ^ 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.