Mount Elbert
The summit of Mount Elbert at 14,440 feet (4401.2 m) elevation is the highest summit of the Rocky Mountains of North America, the highest point in the U.S. State of Colorado, and the second-highest summit in the contiguous United States after Mount Whitney, which is slightly taller. The ultra-prominent fourteener is the highest peak in the Sawatch Range, as well as the highest point in the entire Mississippi River drainage basin. Mount Elbert is located in San Isabel National Forest, 12.1 miles (19.4 km) southwest (bearing 223°) of the City of Leadville in Lake County, Colorado.
| Mount Elbert | |
|---|---|
Mount Elbert seen from Turquoise Lake | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 14,440 feet (4401.2 m) NAVD88 |
| Prominence | 9,093 feet (2772 m) |
| Isolation | 671 miles (1079 km) |
| Listing | |
| Coordinates | 39°07′03.9″N 106°26′43.2″W |
| Naming | |
| Etymology | Samuel Hitt Elbert |
| Geography | |
Mount Elbert | |
| Location | High point of Lake County and the State of Colorado, U.S. |
| Parent range | Highest summit of the Rocky Mountains, Southern Rocky Mountains, Sawatch Range, and Elbert Massif |
| Topo map | USGS 7.5' topographic map Mount Elbert, Colorado |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | 1874 by Henry W. Stuckle |
| Easiest route | Northeast Ridge: Hike, class 1 |
The mountain was named in honor of a Colorado statesman, Samuel Hitt Elbert, who was active in the formative period of the state and Governor of the Territory of Colorado from 1873 to 1874. Henry W. Stuckle of the Hayden Survey was the first to record an ascent of the peak, in 1874. The easiest and most popular climbing routes are categorized as Class 1 to 2 or A+ in mountaineering parlance. Mount Elbert is therefore often referred to as the "gentle giant" that tops all others in the Rocky Mountains.