Baker Mountain (Colorado)

Baker Mountain
Southeast aspect, from Kawuneeche Valley
Highest point
Elevation12,410 ft (3,783 m)[1]
Prominence277 ft (84 m)[1][2]
Parent peakMount Nimbus (12,721 ft)[1][3]
Isolation1.06 mi (1.71 km)[1]
Coordinates40°22′54″N 105°54′23″W / 40.3815788°N 105.9064798°W / 40.3815788; -105.9064798[4]
Naming
EtymologyJohn R. Baker
Geography
Baker Mountain is located in Colorado
Baker Mountain
Baker Mountain
Location in Colorado
Baker Mountain is located in the United States
Baker Mountain
Baker Mountain
Baker Mountain (the United States)
CountryUnited States
StateColorado
CountyGrand County
Protected areaRocky Mountain National Park
Never Summer Wilderness
Parent rangeRocky Mountains
Never Summer Mountains
Topo mapUSGS Mount Richthofen
Climbing
First ascent1875 by John Baker
Easiest routeclass 2 West slope[5]

Baker Mountain is a 12,410-foot-elevation (3,780-meter) mountain summit in Grand County, Colorado, United States.

Description

Baker Mountain is the 15th-highest peak of the Never Summer Mountains which are a subrange of the Rocky Mountains.[3] The mountain is situated on the western boundary of Rocky Mountain National Park and the west side of the peak is in the Never Summer Wilderness, on land managed by Arapaho National Forest. Precipitation runoff from the mountain's slopes drains into headwaters of the Colorado River except for a portion of which is diverted by the Grand Ditch. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 3,500 feet (1,100 meters) above the Kawuneeche Valley in three miles (4.8 km) and 2,400 feet (730 meters) above Baker Gulch in 0.6 mile (1 km).

History

The mountain is named for John R. Baker who made the first ascent of the summit in 1875.[6] The mountain's toponym was officially adopted in 1932 by the United States Board on Geographic Names,[4][7] and named in association with Baker Gulch which had been reported in publications since at least 1906.[8]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Baker Mountain is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers.[9] Due to its altitude, it receives precipitation all year, as snow in winter, and as thunderstorms in summer, with a dry period in late spring.

See also

  • Southeast aspect
    Southeast aspect
  • Baker Mountain (left) and Mt. Stratus
    Baker Mountain (left) and Mt. Stratus

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Baker Mountain - 12,410' CO". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  2. ^ "Baker Mountain, Colorado". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Baker Mountain, Peakvisor.com". Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Baker Mountain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  5. ^ Lisa Foster (2005), Rocky Mountain National Park: The Complete Hiking Guide, Westcliffe Publishers, ISBN 9781565795501, p. 345.
  6. ^ William Bright, Colorado Place Names, 2004, Johnson Books, ISBN 9781555663339, page 13.
  7. ^ Decisions of the United States Geographic Board No. 27, (June 30, 1932), US Government Printing Office, p. 1.
  8. ^ Henry Gannett, United States Geological Survey (1906), A Gazetteer of Colorado, US Government Printing Office, p. 21.
  9. ^ Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11. ISSN 1027-5606.