Mount Elbert
Sign in to saveAlso known as Mt. Elbert
Highest mountain in the US state of Colorado (14,440')
Key facts
- Elevation
- 14440 feet (4401 m); 14437.6 feet (4401 m); , NAVD 88; NAPGD2022 (preliminary)
- Prominence
- 9,093 feet (2772 m)
- Isolation
- 671 miles (1079 km)
- Listing
- North America highest peaks 27th North America prominent peaks 23rd North America isolated peaks 8th US highest major peaks 14th U.S. state high points 3rd Colorado highest major peaks 1st Colorado fourteeners 1st Colorado county high points 1st
- Etymology
- Samuel Hitt Elbert
- Location
- High point of Lake County and the State of Colorado , U.S.
- Parent range
- Highest summit of the, Rocky Mountains , Southern Rocky Mountains , Sawatch Range , and Elbert Massif
- Topo map s
- USGS 7.5' topographic map , Mount Elbert, Colorado
- First ascent
- 1874 by Henry W. Stuckle
- Easiest route
- Northeast Ridge: Hike, class 1
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Elevation
- 4401
- Image
- Mt. Elbert.jpg
Show 2 more facts
- topographic prominence
- 2765
- Commons category
- Mount Elbert
Sources (1)
via Wikidata · CC0
~12 min read
Article
Mount Elbert is the highest summit of the Rocky Mountains of North America. With an elevation of 14,440 ft (4,400 m), it is also the highest point in the U.S. state of Colorado and the second-highest summit in the contiguous United States after Mount Whitney, which is slightly taller. The ultra-prominent fourteener is the highest peak in the Sawatch Range, as well as the highest point in the entire Mississippi River drainage basin. Mount Elbert is located in San Isabel National Forest, 12.1 mi (19.4 km) southwest (bearing 223°) of the city of Leadville in Lake County, Colorado.
The mountain was named in honor of a Colorado statesman, Samuel Hitt Elbert, who was active in the formative period of the state and governor of the Territory of Colorado from 1873 to 1874. Henry W. Stuckle of the Hayden Survey was the first to record an ascent of the peak, in 1874. The easiest and most popular climbing routes are categorized as Class 1 to 2 or A+ in mountaineering parlance. Mount Elbert is therefore often referred to as the "gentle giant" that tops all others in the Rocky Mountains.