Mount Ellen (Utah)
Encyclopedia
Mount Ellen is a mountain
located in Garfield County
, Utah
. The high point of Mount Ellen's North Summit Ridge is the highest point in the Henry Mountains
; it is also the highest point in Garfield County. It can be reached by a short hike from an unpaved road. These mountains were the last to be surveyed by the USGS
in the lower 48 states. The mountain can be seen from as far as Mount Peale
in the La Sal Mountains of eastern Utah.
Mount Ellen happens to be an ultra prominent peak
. This means that it has more than 1500 m (4,921 ft) of topographic prominence
. This great prominence value means that it stands out from many other nearby mountains allowing it to become more well known.
Mount Ellen stands within the watershed
of the Fremont River
, which together with Muddy Creek
forms the Dirty Devil River
, which drains into the Colorado River
, and ultimately into the Gulf of California
in Mexico
.
Mountain
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located in Garfield County
Garfield County, Utah
Garfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2000 the population was 4,735. It was named for James A. Garfield, President of the United States in 1881. Its county seat and largest city is Panguitch.-Geography:...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. The high point of Mount Ellen's North Summit Ridge is the highest point in the Henry Mountains
Henry Mountains
The Henry Mountains are located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Utah and run in a generally north-south direction, extending over a distance of about 30 miles . They were named by John Wesley Powell in honour of Joseph Henry, the first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. The...
; it is also the highest point in Garfield County. It can be reached by a short hike from an unpaved road. These mountains were the last to be surveyed by the USGS
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
in the lower 48 states. The mountain can be seen from as far as Mount Peale
Mount Peale
Mount Peale is the highest point in the La Sal Mountains of San Juan County, in the southeastern part of the US state of Utah. It is also the highest point in Utah outside the Uinta Mountains. It is located about southeast of Moab...
in the La Sal Mountains of eastern Utah.
Mount Ellen happens to be an ultra prominent peak
Ultra prominent peak
An ultra prominent peak, or Ultra for short, is a mountain with a topographic prominence of or more. There are a total of roughly 1,524 such peaks in the world. Some are famous even to non-climbers, such as Mount Everest, Aconcagua, and Mount McKinley , while others are much more obscure...
. This means that it has more than 1500 m (4,921 ft) of topographic prominence
Topographic prominence
In topography, prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height, shoulder drop , or prime factor , categorizes the height of the mountain's or hill's summit by the elevation between it and the lowest contour line encircling it and no higher summit...
. This great prominence value means that it stands out from many other nearby mountains allowing it to become more well known.
Mount Ellen stands within the watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of the Fremont River
Fremont River (Utah)
The Fremont River in Utah flows from the Johnson Valley Reservoir, which is located on the Wasatch Plateau near Fish Lake, southwest through Capitol Reef National Park to the Muddy Creek near Hanksville where the two rivers combine to form the Dirty Devil River, a tributary of the Colorado River...
, which together with Muddy Creek
Muddy Creek (Utah)
Muddy Creek is a stream which drains portions of Emery and Wayne Counties in central Utah, in the western United States. It begins on the eastern slopes of the Wasatch Plateau at elevations above 10,500 feet . It turns southward near the town of Emery, then southeastward where it crosses under...
forms the Dirty Devil River
Dirty Devil River
The Dirty Devil River is a long tributary of the Colorado River, located in the U.S. state of Utah. It flows through southern Utah from the confluence of Fremont River and Muddy Creek to the Colorado River.-Course:...
, which drains into the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
, and ultimately into the Gulf of California
Gulf of California
The Gulf of California is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland...
in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.