Sunshine Mountain

For the Colorado thirteener, see Sunshine Mountain (Hinsdale County, Colorado).
For the Colorado fourteener, see Sunshine Peak.
Sunshine Mountain
Northeast aspect
Highest point
Elevation12,930 ft (3,940 m)[1]
Prominence810 ft (250 m)[1]
Parent peakLizard Head (13,119 ft)[2]
Isolation1.79 mi (2.88 km)[2]
Coordinates37°51′30″N 107°56′03″W / 37.8583385°N 107.9342234°W / 37.8583385; -107.9342234[3]
Geography
Sunshine Mountain is located in Colorado
Sunshine Mountain
Sunshine Mountain
Location in Colorado
Sunshine Mountain is located in the United States
Sunshine Mountain
Sunshine Mountain
Sunshine Mountain (the United States)
LocationSan Miguel County
Colorado, US
Parent rangeRocky Mountains
San Juan Mountains
Topo mapUSGS Mount Wilson
Geology
Rock ageTertiary
Climbing
Easiest routeclass 2[2] East ridge

Sunshine Mountain is a 12,930-foot-elevation (3,940-meter) mountain summit located in San Miguel County, in Colorado, United States.[3] It is situated nine miles southwest of the community of Telluride, in the Lizard Head Wilderness, on land managed by Uncompahgre National Forest. It is part of the San Juan Mountains which is a subset of the Rocky Mountains. Sunshine Mountain is situated 24 miles west of the Continental Divide, 2.75 miles east of Wilson Peak, and 1.8 mile northeast of Lizard Head, the nearest higher neighbor.[1] Topographic relief is significant as the west aspect rises 2,700 feet (820 meters) above Bilk Creek in approximately one mile. The mountain is composed of rock of the San Juan Formation overlaying Telluride Conglomerate, in turn overlaying Mancos Shale.[4] The mountain's name, which has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names, was in use before 1899 when Henry Gannett published it in A Dictionary of Altitudes in the United States.[5]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Sunshine Mountain is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone with long, cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers.[6] 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. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the San Miguel River.

  • Sunshine Mountain (left) and Wilson Peak (right) from southbound Highway 145
    Sunshine Mountain (left) and Wilson Peak (right) from southbound Highway 145
  • Sunshine Mountain (left) and Wilson Peak from the east
    Sunshine Mountain (left) and Wilson Peak from the east
  • Sunshine Mountain (left), Mt. Wilson, Wilson Peak
    Sunshine Mountain (left), Mt. Wilson, Wilson Peak
  • Lizard Head, Sunshine Mountain, Mt. Wilson, Wilson Peak from Telluride ski area
    Lizard Head, Sunshine Mountain, Mt. Wilson, Wilson Peak from Telluride ski area

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Sunshine Mountain, Colorado". Peakbagger.com.
  2. ^ a b c "Sunshine Mountain - 12,930' CO". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2021-06-29.
  3. ^ a b "Sunshine Mountain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2021-06-29.
  4. ^ Calvin S. Bromfield, Geology of the Mount Wilson Quadrangle Western San Juan Mountains Colorado, 1967, US Government Printing Office, pages 19, 21
  5. ^ Henry Gannett, A Dictionary of Altitudes in the United States, 1899, US Government Printing Office, page 97.
  6. ^ 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.