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Sawatch Range
Some of the peaks currently listed:
The Sawatch Range sits high atop central Colorado. Its peaks are mostly gentle giants. A number are among the highest in the state and region, including: four of Colorado’s five highest peaks; fifteen peaks above 14,000 feet- the most of any range in the state; eight of the highest peaks in the Rocky Mountains; and Mt. Elbert (14.433’), the highest peak in Colorado and the Rockies. Expect to gain 4,000-6,000 feet on many of the Sawatch routes. So don’t under estimate the climbs and be aware of afternoon weather. The Collegiate Peaks, a sub range of the Sawatch, loom over the valleys below in the southern portion of the Range. A number of these peaks have been named for famous universities, like Mt. Harvard and Mt. Princeton. Photogenic Mount of the Holy Cross (14,005’) has been one of the most venerated of Colorado’s peaks. Holy Cross, on the NE face of the mountain, was immortalized during the 1870’s as the peak with a perfect “snowy cross” in both the famous photograph by William H. Jackson and the equally famous painting by Thomas Moran. Although not as perfect in form as a century ago, nevertheless, it remains a dramatic sight and even more dramatic climb. The range is oriented in a northwest-southeast axis along the Continental Divide. The headwaters of the Arkansas River run along its eastern flanks. The western side of the Sawatch feed the Roaring Fork, Eagle and Gunnison Rivers. Four Wilderness Areas cross the range.
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Elk Mountains | Front Range |
Other CO Ranges | San Juan Mountains |
Sangre de Cristo Range | Sawatch Range |
Tenmile-Mosquito Range | Other States |
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