Matterhorn Peak is a mountain peak in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Colorado

Colorado

Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

. It is located in the Uncompahgre Wilderness

Uncompahgre Wilderness

The Uncompahgre Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area in southwest Colorado comprising 102,721 acres...

 of the northern San Juan Mountains

San Juan Mountains

The San Juan Mountains are a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado. The area is highly mineralized and figured in the gold and silver mining industry of early Colorado. Major towns, all old mining camps, include Creede, Lake City, Silverton, Ouray, and...

, in northwestern Hinsdale County

Hinsdale County, Colorado

Hinsdale County is the least densely populated of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 790 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat and the only municipality in the county is the Town of Lake City. Hinsdale County is named for George A. Hinsdale, a...

 and southeastern Ouray County

Ouray County, Colorado

Ouray County is one of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado in the United States. The county population was 3,742 at U.S. Census 2000. As of 2010, U.S. Census data place the population at 4,436. The county seat is the City of Ouray...

, 8.75 miles (14 km) east of the town of Ouray

Ouray, Colorado

The historic City of Ouray is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Ouray County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 813 at the U.S. Census 2000 and 1,000 as of the U.S. Census 2010...

. It lies 2 mi (3.2 km) west of Uncompahgre Peak

Uncompahgre Peak

Uncompahgre Peak is the sixth highest mountain peak in the U.S. state of Colorado and is the highest peak of the San Juan Mountains. It is located in the Uncompahgre Wilderness in the northern San Juans, in northern Hinsdale County approximately 7 miles west of the town of Lake City.Uncompahgre...

.

Matterhorn Peak, and its neighbor Wetterhorn Peak, 14015 ft (4,272 m), are named after the Matterhorn

Matterhorn

The Matterhorn , Monte Cervino or Mont Cervin , is a mountain in the Pennine Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Its summit is 4,478 metres high, making it one of the highest peaks in the Alps. The four steep faces, rising above the surrounding glaciers, face the four compass points...

 and the Wetterhorn

Wetterhorn

The Wetterhorn is a mountain in the Swiss Alps close to the village of Grindelwald. First climbed in 1844, the 1854 ascent by Alfred Wills and party is more celebrated and is generally regarded to have marked the beginning of the golden age of alpinism.The mountain is composed of three distinct...

, two famous peaks in the Swiss Alps

Swiss Alps

The Swiss Alps are the portion of the Alps mountain range that lies within Switzerland. Because of their central position within the entire Alpine range, they are also known as the Central Alps....

. Both Colorado peaks are pointed rock spires (hence slightly resembling their namesake peaks), whose shapes contrast with the broad bulk of the higher Uncompahgre Peak.

External links

• Topographic map from MSR Map