Pigeon Peak

Pigeon Peak, elevation 13,978 ft (4,260 m), is a summit in the Needle Mountains, a subrange of the San Juan Mountains in the southwestern part of the US State of Colorado. It rises dramatically on the east side of the Animas River, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of the fourteener Mount Eolus. It is located in the Weminuche Wilderness, part of the San Juan National Forest.

Not to be confused with Pigeon Peak, Tobago or various other peaks and summits named Pigeon, see Pigeon (disambiguation)
Pigeon Peak
Pigeon Peak
Highest point
Elevation13,978 ft (4,260 m) [1][2]
Prominence1,152 ft (351 m) [2]
Isolation1.49 mi (2.40 km) [2]
Coordinates37°37′57″N 107°38′46″W [3]
Geography
LocationLa Plata County, Colorado, U.S.[3]
Parent rangeSan Juan Mountains, br/>Needle Mountains[2]
Topo mapUSGS 7.5' topographic map
Snowdon Peak, Colorado[3]
Climbing
Easiest routeNorthwest slope: scramble, class 3

Pigeon Peak is notable both for its absolute height and for its local relief. It is the 57th highest independent peak in Colorado,[4][5] narrowly missing the well-known list of fourteeners. In terms of local relief, it is one of the most impressive peaks in Colorado. Its most dramatic rise is over the Animas River to the west, over which it rises nearly 6,000 feet (1,829 m) in under 2.5 miles (4 km). Also, its east face is an 800 feet (244 m) cliff.[6]

Climbing

Since Pigeon Peak is not a fourteener, it sees far less traffic than the nearby trio of Mount Eolus, Windom Peak and Sunlight Peak. The standard route is not technically difficult, but it is long and requires a little-hiked wilderness approach. Climbers typically camp near Ruby Lake north of the peak. From there the route ascends to a saddle between Pigeon Peak and Turret Peak, southwest of Pigeon. The route then descends and makes a traverse around to the opposite side of the peak, finally ascending the northwest slopes.[5] Difficulties involve class 3 scrambling.[7]

See also

References
  1. The elevation of Pigeon Peak includes an adjustment of +1.697 m (+5.57 ft) from NGVD 29 to NAVD 88.
  2. "Pigeon Peak, Colorado". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  3. "Pigeon Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved November 6, 2014.
  4. The usual criteria for a peak to be considered independent is that it have 300 feet (91 m) of topographic prominence.
  5. Garratt, Mike; Martin, Bob (1992). Colorado's High Thirteeners (3rd ed.). Boulder: Johnson Press. ISBN 0-917895-39-8.
  6. Snowdon Peak quadrangle, Colorado (Map). 1:24000. 7.5 Minute Topographic. USGS. 1972. Retrieved 2009-01-22.
  7. "Pigeon Peak". Summitpost.org. Retrieved 2009-01-22.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.