Mount Eolus
Encyclopedia
Mount Eolus is a fourteener
in the U.S. state
of Colorado
, the highest of the Needle Mountains
(a subrange of the San Juan Mountains
). It is located in the Weminuche Wilderness
(part of the San Juan National Forest
) in La Plata County
approximately 13 miles (20.9 km) south of Silverton
.
Mount Eolus is one of three fourteeners in the Needle Mountains; the others are Sunlight Peak
and Windom Peak
. All three peaks are located around the cirque known as Upper Chicago Basin
. Eolus lies to the west of the upper basin, while the other peaks lie on the east side. These peaks are among the most remote of the fourteeners and have a strong wilderness character.
North Eolus, elevation 14039 ft (4,279.1 m), is a northern subpeak of Mount Eolus, which is not usually counted as a separate peak or as an official fourteener, since it has a topographic prominence
of only 159 ft (48.5 m). However it is sometimes climbed in conjunction with Eolus.
Fourteener
In mountaineering terminology in the United States, a fourteener is a mountain that exceeds 14,000 feet above mean sea level. There are 547 fourteeners in the world. The importance of fourteeners is greatest in Colorado, which has the majority of such peaks in North America...
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...
, the highest of the Needle Mountains
Needle Mountains (Colorado)
The Needle Mountains are a subrange of the San Juan Mountains of the Rocky Mountains located in the southwestern part of the U.S. State of Colorado. Much of the range is protected in the Weminuche Wilderness of the San Juan National Forest. The range is notable for having some of the most rugged...
(a subrange of the 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...
). It is located in the Weminuche Wilderness
Weminuche Wilderness
The Weminuche Wilderness is a wilderness area in southwest Colorado managed by the United States Forest Service as part of the San Juan National Forest on the west side of the Continental Divide and the Rio Grande National Forest on the east side of the divide. It is about 5 miles south east of...
(part of the San Juan National Forest
San Juan National Forest
The San Juan National Forest is a U.S. National Forest covering over 1,878,846 acres in Archuleta, Conjeos, Dolores, Hinsdale, La Plata, Mineral, Montezuma, Rio Grande, San Miguel and San Juan Counties in western Colorado. It borders the Uncompahgre National Forest to the north and the Rio Grande...
) in La Plata County
La Plata County, Colorado
La Plata County is the fourteenth most populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county was named for the La Plata River and the La Plata Mountains. "La plata" is the Spanish language word for "silver". The United States Census Bureau estimated that the...
approximately 13 miles (20.9 km) south of Silverton
Silverton, Colorado
The town of Silverton is a Statutory Town that is the county seat of, and the only incorporated municipality in, San Juan County, Colorado, United States. Silverton is a former silver mining camp, most or all of which is now included in a federally designated National Historic Landmark District,...
.
Mount Eolus is one of three fourteeners in the Needle Mountains; the others are Sunlight Peak
Sunlight Peak
Sunlight Peak is a fourteener in the Needle Mountains, a subrange of the San Juan Mountains in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the Weminuche Wilderness in La Plata County approximately 13 miles south of Silverton.Sunlight Peak is one of three fourteeners in the Needle Mountains; the...
and Windom Peak
Windom Peak
Windom Peak is a fourteener in the Needle Mountains, a subrange of the San Juan Mountains in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the Weminuche Wilderness in La Plata County approximately south of Silverton....
. All three peaks are located around the cirque known as Upper Chicago Basin
Chicago Basin
Chicago Basin comprises the upper portion of the Needle Creek watershed in the Needle Mountains , a subrange of the San Juan Mountains in the US State of Colorado. It lies within the Weminuche Wilderness, part of the San Juan National Forest. Needle Creek is an east-side tributary of the Animas River...
. Eolus lies to the west of the upper basin, while the other peaks lie on the east side. These peaks are among the most remote of the fourteeners and have a strong wilderness character.
North Eolus, elevation 14039 ft (4,279.1 m), is a northern subpeak of Mount Eolus, which is not usually counted as a separate peak or as an official fourteener, since it has a 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...
of only 159 ft (48.5 m). However it is sometimes climbed in conjunction with Eolus.
See also
- List of Colorado fourteeners
- Mountain peaks of ColoradoMountain peaks of ColoradoThis article comprises three sortable tables of the major mountain peaks of the U.S. State of Colorado.Topographic elevation is the vertical distance above the reference geoid, a precise mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface...
- Mountain ranges of ColoradoMountain ranges of ColoradoThe following table lists the major mountain ranges of the U.S. State of Colorado.-Mountain Ranges:-See also:*4000 meter peaks of Colorado*Colorado mountain passes*Geography of Colorado*Lists of mountains*Mountain peaks of Colorado...