Stones Peak

Stones Peak
North aspect, centered
Highest point
Elevation12,922 ft (3,939 m)[1][2]
Prominence885 ft (270 m)[3]
Parent peakMount Julian (12,933 ft)[3]
Isolation2.27 mi (3.65 km)[3]
Coordinates40°21′16″N 105°43′14″W / 40.3543079°N 105.7204233°W / 40.3543079; -105.7204233[4]
Naming
EtymologyGeorge Hapgood Stone
Geography
Stones Peak is located in Colorado
Stones Peak
Stones Peak
Location in Colorado
Stones Peak is located in the United States
Stones Peak
Stones Peak
Stones Peak (the United States)
CountryUnited States
StateColorado
CountyLarimer
Protected areaRocky Mountain National Park
Parent rangeRocky Mountains
Front Range[5]
Topo mapUSGS McHenrys Peak
Geology
Rock agePaleoproterozoic[6]
Rock typeBiotite schist and gneiss[6]
Climbing
Easiest routeclass 2 Southwest Ridge[7]

Stones Peak is a 12,922-foot-elevation (3,939-meter) mountain summit located in Larimer County, Colorado.[5] It is situated in Rocky Mountain National Park, one mile east of the Continental Divide and 11.5 miles (18.5 km) west of the community of Estes Park. Stones Peak is part of the Front Range which is a subrange of the Rocky Mountains. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Big Thompson River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises over 3,900 feet (1,200 meters) above the Big Thompson River in Forest Canyon in two miles. The peak is a prominent landmark viewed from Forest Canyon Overlook along the Trail Ridge Road.

History

The peak's namesake is glacial geologist George Hapgood Stone (1841–1917), a professor at Colorado College (1881–1888) who visited this area in 1886.[2] The mountain's toponym was officially adopted in 1932 by the United States Board on Geographic Names.[4]

The first documented ascent of the peak (then spelled as "Stone's Peak") was made by Frederick H. Chapin and William L. Hallett as published in Chapin's 1889 book, Mountaineering in Colorado: The Peaks about Estes Park.[8]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Stones Peak 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. This climate supports the Sprague Glacier on the southwest aspect of Stones Peak.[10]

  • Southeast aspect
    Southeast aspect
  • North aspect of Stones Peak, with Longs Peak (distant left)
    North aspect of Stones Peak, with Longs Peak (distant left)
  • East aspect of Stones Peak, from Moraine Park
    East aspect of Stones Peak, from Moraine Park
  • Stones Peak from Trail Ridge Road
    Stones Peak from Trail Ridge Road
  • Stones Peak (left), Hayden Spire centered, and Terra Tomah Mountain (right) viewed from Trail Ridge Road
    Stones Peak (left), Hayden Spire centered, and Terra Tomah Mountain (right) viewed from Trail Ridge Road
  • Stones Peak centered, with Sprague Mountain and Hayden Spire to right
    Stones Peak centered, with Sprague Mountain and Hayden Spire to right
  • East aspect
    East aspect

See also

References

  1. ^ Robert M. Ormes (1992), Guide to the Colorado Mountains, Johnson Books, ISBN 9781555661946, p. 43.
  2. ^ a b Bright, William (2004). Colorado Place Names. Big Earth Publishing. p. 168. ISBN 978-1-55566-333-9.
  3. ^ a b c "Stones Peak - 12,925' CO". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Stones Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Stones Peak, Colorado". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Geologic map of the Estes Park 30' x 60' quadrangle, north-central Colorado, W.A. Braddock, U.S. Geological Survey, 1984.
  7. ^ Lisa Foster, 2005, Rocky Mountain National Park: The Complete Hiking Guide, Westcliffe Publishers, ISBN 9781565795501, p. 94.
  8. ^ Frederick Hastings Chapin (1889), Mountaineering in Colorado: The Peaks about Estes Park, Appalachian Mountain Club, p. 147–55.
  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.
  10. ^ James Fargo Balliett (2016), Mountains Environmental Issues, Global Perspectives, Publisher: Taylor & Francis, ISBN 9781315496993