West Elk Mountains
The West Elk Mountains are a high mountain range in the west-central part of the U.S. state of Colorado. They lie primarily within the Gunnison National Forest, and part of the range is protected as the West Elk Wilderness. The range is primarily located in Gunnison County, with small parts in eastern Delta and Montrose counties.
The West Elks are surrounded by tributaries of the Gunnison River. The range is bounded on the north by the North Fork of the Gunnison and on the east by the East River, another tributary of the Gunnison. On the south and west it is contiguous with Black Mesa and Fruitland Mesa, both part of the uplift in which sits the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. On the northeast it is contiguous with the Elk Mountains, being separated from them by Anthracite Creek and Coal Creek. Nearby towns include Gunnison, Paonia, and the ski resort of Crested Butte.
Prominent peaks
Rank | Mountain Peak | Elevation | Prominence | Isolation |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | West Elk Peak NGS PB | 3975 m |
13,042 feet943 m |
3,095 feet22.2 km |
13.8 miles
2 | Mount Gunnison NGS PB | 3879 m |
12,725 feet1082 m |
3,549 feet19.1 km |
11.8 miles
3 | Whetstone Mountain NGS PB | 3818 m |
12,527 feet749 m |
2,456 feet15.1 km |
9.4 miles
4 | East Beckwith Mountain NGS PB | 3792 m |
12,441 feet760 m |
2,492 feet11.0 km |
6.8 miles
5 | Anthracite Peak NGS PB | 3778 m |
12,394 feet648 m |
2,125 feet7.7 km |
4.8 miles
6 | Carbon Peak NGS PB | 3684 m |
12,088 feet664 m |
2,179 feet6.3 km |
3.9 miles
7 | Mount Guero NGS PB | 3675 m |
12,058 feet741 m |
2,432 feet10.3 km |
6.4 miles
8 | Marcellina Mountain[1] PB | 3461 m |
11,353 feet831 m |
2,728 feet8.2 km |
5.1 miles
See also
References
- ↑ The elevation of this summit has been converted from the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29) to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88). National Geodetic Survey
External links
- West Elk Mountains on peakbagger.com
- Topographic map from USGS The National Map
- Geology of the Elk Mountains
- U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: West Elk Mountains
- West Elk Mountains on TopoQuest
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