Mountain of the Week - Uncompahgre Peak
Uncompahgre Peak
(14,309 ft)
Despite it’s ridiculously hard to pronounce name, this peak is a stunning beauty. It typifies everything people stereotype for mountain topography. Long snowy slopes, a craggy upper section and a pointy summit.
Uncompahgre Peak lies in a rugged chain in known as the San Juan Mountains in southern Colorado.
Uncompahgre is a Ute Indian word that has several connotations that relate to water. “dirty water” “rocks that make water red”
Ever since I caught images of this mountain I have wanted to get up onto it’s slopes. I’ve heard it is one of the more beautiful mountains to climb in the area with a great class II approach to the summit. From a distance the pictures make it look like you would need to do alot of scrambling, but according to 14ers.com that isn’t necessary.
From Wikipedia:
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 (11 km) west of the town of Lake City.
Uncompahgre peak has a broad summit plateau, rising about 1,500 ft (500 m) above the broad surrounding alpine basins. The south, east and west sides are not particularly steep, but the north face boasts a 700 ft (210 m) cliff. Like all peaks in the San Juan Mountains, Uncompahgre is of volcanic origin, but is not a volcano. The rock is of poor quality for climbing, precluding an ascent of the north face.
The most popular route for climbing Uncompahgre Peak is Uncompahgre National Forest Service Trail Number 239, which starts from the end of the Nellie Creek Road, east-southeast of the peak. The Nellie Creek Road is a four wheel drive road accessed from the Henson Creek Road, about 4 miles west of Lake City. The trail to the summit is a strenuous hike rising 2,919 ft (890 m) in elevation in about 3.5 mi (6 km). It accesses the summit in a winding ascent, starting from the east, passing over a south-trending ridge, and finishing on the west slopes of the summit plateau.[2]
1 comment November 14th, 2008
