Mount Cameron (Colorado)

Mount Cameron
West aspect
Highest point
Elevation14,238 ft (4,340 m)[1][2]
Prominence152 ft (46 m)[3]
Parent peakMount Lincoln (14,293 ft)[3]
Isolation0.54 mi (0.87 km)[3]
Coordinates39°20′47″N 106°07′08″W / 39.3463459°N 106.1189002°W / 39.3463459; -106.1189002[4]
Geography
Mount Cameron is located in Colorado
Mount Cameron
Mount Cameron
Location in Colorado
Mount Cameron is located in the United States
Mount Cameron
Mount Cameron
Mount Cameron (the United States)
CountryUnited States
StateColorado
CountyPark
Protected areaPike National Forest[3]
Parent rangeRocky Mountains
Mosquito Range[2]
Topo mapUSGS Alma
Climbing
Easiest routeHiking class 2[3]

Mount Cameron is a 14,238-foot (4,340 m) mountain summit in Park County, Colorado, United States.

Description

Mount Cameron is set east of the Continental Divide in the Mosquito Range, which is a subrange of the Rocky Mountains. It ranks as the 2nd-highest peak in Park County, 3rd-highest in the Mosquito Range, and the 18th-highest in Colorado.[5] The mountain is located nine miles (14 km) south-southwest of the community of Breckenridge on land managed by Pike National Forest. Precipitation runoff from the mountain's slopes drains into the headwaters of the Middle Fork South Platte River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises over 2,500 feet (762 m) above the river in one mile (1.6 km).

Etymology

The mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names,[4] but there is no consensus as to who the landform is named after. One source claims that Simon Cameron (1799–1889) is the likely namesake.[6] Simon Cameron was the United States Secretary of War under President Abraham Lincoln at the start of the American Civil War, and Mt. Cameron is approximately one-half mile southwest of line parent Mount Lincoln.

Another source claims that the mountain is named for General Robert Alexander Cameron (1828–1894), who supported the campaign of Abraham Lincoln for U.S. president and had ties to Colorado.[7]

A third source states that either of these two gentlemen could possibly be the namesake.[8]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Mount Cameron 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

  • Northeast aspect of Mt. Cameron viewed from Mt. Lincoln
    Northeast aspect of Mt. Cameron viewed from Mt. Lincoln
  • Mt. Cameron (left), Mt. Lincoln (right) viewed from Mt. Bross.
    Mt. Cameron (left), Mt. Lincoln (right) viewed from Mt. Bross.
  • West aspect viewed from a hike up Mt. Democrat
    West aspect viewed from a hike up Mt. Democrat

References

  1. ^ Gerry Roach (2022), Colorado's Fourteeners: From Hikes to Climbs, Chicago Review Press, ISBN 9781641608121
  2. ^ a b "Mount Cameron, Colorado". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Cameron, Mount - 14,248' CO". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Mount Cameron". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  5. ^ "Mount Cameron, Peakvisor.com". Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  6. ^ Maxine Benson (1994), 1001 Colorado place names, University Press of Kansas, ISBN 9780700606320, p. 146.
  7. ^ Susan Joy Paul (2015), Climbing Colorado's Mountains, Falcon Guides, ISBN 9781493014361, p. 204.
  8. ^ Chris Meehan (2021), Best Outdoor Adventures Colorado Front Range, Falcon Guides, ISBN 9781493045433, p. 85.
  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.