| Front Range (CO) Area/Range |
Contribute  Loading...
Children Loading...
Geography
| Front Range (CO)   | 
| Page Type: Area/Range Location: Colorado, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 39.58000°N / 105.64°W Activities: Hiking, Mountaineering, Trad Climbing, Sport Climbing, Toprope, Bouldering, Ice Climbing, Aid Climbing, Big Wall, Mixed, Via Ferrata, Canyoneering, Skiing Season: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter | Page By: csmcgranahan Created/Edited: Jan 12, 2006 / Mar 16, 2008 Object ID: 170949 Hits: 17942 Loading... Page Score: 90.91% - 37 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Overview  Grays Peak - Front Range High Point
The Front Range is Colorado’s longest range and extends 175 miles from the Wyoming border to the Arkansas River Valley to the south. As one of Colorado's great ranges it rises as much as 8,000 feet above the eastern plains. The western border of the Front Range, which is not as well defined as the eastern border, is generally bound by North Park, Middle Park and South Park. The Continental Divide passes through the northern portion of the range before heading west into the Mosquito Range. Grays Peak of the Front Range is the highest point on the Continental Divide in both Colorado and the Rocky Mountains.
Geology of the Front RangeThe Front Range is a classic example of an anticlinal range and is the longest continuous uplift in the state. Most of the high peaks are comprised of precambrian granite, gneiss (pronounced "nice") and schist that have been thrust up through the surface layers of sedimentary rock. This is evidenced by the up-sloping sedimentary formations of Garden of the Gods near Pikes Peak, Roxborough State Park between Colorado Springs and Denver and the Boulder Flatirons. For more technical information on Colorado geology a good website to visit is this one.
 Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs
Igneous (volcanic) activity created the great mineral deposits of the Front Range with the most famous being the Cripple Creek mining district on the southwest slopes of Pikes Peak. Covered wagons heading west in the late 1800's in search of riches were urged on by the slogan "Pikes Peak or Bust". Today there is still one gold mine operating in the Cripple Creek mining district with several hundred million dollars in gold ore extracted each year. In the 1990's Colorado revived three of the historic Front Range mining towns with limited stakes gambling. Todays prospectors try their luck in the casinos of Cripple Creek, Blackhawk and Central City.
Front Range WildernessLost Creek Wilderness - 119,790 acres - The five highest peaks in the Lost Creek Wilderness are:
1. Bison Peak 12,431
2. Peak X 12,429
3. South Twin Cone Peak 12,340
4. North Twin Cone Peak 12,323
5. Mt. Blaine 12,303
Indian Peaks Wilderness - 76,711 acres - The five highest peaks in the Indian Peaks Wilderness are:
1. North Arapaho Peak 13,502
2. Apache Peak 13,441
3. Navajo Peak 13,409
4. South Arapaho Peak 13,397
5. Mt. Audubon 13,223
Mt. Evans Wilderness - 74,401 acres - The five highest peaks in the Mount Evans Wilderness are:
1. Mt. Evans 14,264
2. Mt. Bierstadt 14,060
3. Mt. Spalding 13,842
4. Gray Wolf Mountain 13,602
5. Rosalie Peak 13,575
Rawah Wilderness - 73,068 acres - The five highest peaks in the Rawah Wilderness are:
1. Clark Peak 12,951
2. "Lewis Peak" - Point 12,654
3. South Rawah Peak 12,644
4. "Snowbank Peak" - Point 12,522
5. "North Rawah Peak" 12,473
Comanche Peak Wilderness - 66,791 acres - The five highest peaks in the Comanche Peak Wilderness are:
1. Comanche Peak 12,702
2. Fall Mountain 12,258
3. Stormy Peaks 12,148
4. Crown Point 11,463
5. Signal Mountain 11,262
Never Summer Wilderness - 21,090 acres - The five highest peaks in the Never Summer Wilderness are:
1. Mt. Richthofen 12,940
2. Howard Mountain 12,810
3. Mount Cirrus 12,797
4. Mount Cumulus 12,725
5. Mount Nimbus 12,706
James Peak Wilderness - 14,000 acres - The five highest peaks in the James Peak Wilderness are:
1. Parry Peak 13,391
2. James Peak 13,294
3. Mount Bancroft 13,250
4. Mt. Flora 13,132
5. Mt. Eva 13,130
Ptarmigan Peak Wilderness - 13,175 acres - The five highest peaks in the Ptarmigan Peak Wilderness are:
1. Coon Hill 12,757
2. Ptarmigan Peak 12,498
3. Point 12,429
4. Point 12,411
5. Point 12,377
Vasquez Peak Wilderness - 12,300 acres - The five highest peaks in the Vasquez Peak Wilderness are:
1. Vasquez Peak 12,947
2. Bobtail BM 12,803
3. Point 12,763
4. Mt. Nystrom 12,652
5. Stanley Mountain 12,521
Neota Wilderness - 9,924 acres - The named peaks in the Neota Wilderness are:
1. Thunder Mountain 12,060
2. Point 11,896
3. Mt. Neota 11,734
4. Point 11,359
5. Flat Top Mountain 11,355
Cache La Poudre Wilderness - 9,258 acres - The named peaks in the Neota Wilderness are:
1. Mt. McConnel 8,008
Byers Peak Wilderness - 8,095 acres - The five highest peaks in the Byers Peak Wilderness are:
1. Byers Peak 12,804
2. Bills Peak 12,703
3. Point 12,686
4. Point 12,580
5. Ptarmigan Peak 11,773
Platte River Wilderness - 743 acres - There are no significant peaks in the Colorado portion of
the Platte River Wilderness.
Fourteeners of the Front RangeThe Front Range contains six Fourteeners. These peaks proximity to the large Front Range cities of
Denver and Colorado Springs result in significant numbers of summit attempts on summer weekends.
Attempting a mid-week summit and/or attempting by a non-standard route will improve your chances
of solitude.
Grays Peak stands at 14,270 feet and is the 9th highest peak in Colorado. It is
located about 4 miles south of Exit 221 on Interstate 70 and is the highest point
on the Atlantic-Pacific Continental Divide. It is also the highest point of Clear Creek
and Summit Counties. Grays Peak and it's neighbor Torreys Peak are the only
fourteeners on the Continental Divide and are frequently climbed together. Grays
Peak has a Class 1 standard route and several Class 2 routes that are accessible
from multiple trailheads.
Torreys Peak stands at 14,267 feet and is the 11th highest peak in Colorado. It is
located about 3.5 miles southeast of Loveland Pass and about 3.5 miles south of
Interstate 70. It is quite impressive, particularly in winter, as seen from Interstate 70
near mile marker 221 near Bakerville. Grays Peak and Torreys Peak are the only
fourteeners on the Continental Divide and are frequently climbed together. Torreys
Peak has several Class 2 and 3 routes that are accessible from multiple trailheads.
If attempted in combination with Grays Peak the only Class 2 section is the ridge
traverse between the two peaks
Mt. Evans stands at 14,264 feet and is located approximately 35 miles west of
downtown Denver and is visible from much of the metropolitan area. There is a paved
road to the summit accessible from Interstate 70 at Idaho Springs (Exit 240). A
"classic" route is to start at the Guanella Pass trailhead and summit Mt. Bierstadt then
traverse the Sawtooth, a fun and airy Class 3 scramble to the summit of Mt. Evans.
Longs Peak stands at 14,259 feet and greets travelers entering Colorado from the
north on I-25 or from the northeast on Interstate 76. Longs Peak is the most
northern fourteener in Colorado and in the Rocky Mountains. It is the highest
point in Rocky Mountain National Park and of Boulder County. Longs Peak is the
monarch of the northern Front Range. Longs Peak with it's Class 3 standard route is
the only Front Range fourteener without a Class 1 or Class 2 route.
Pikes Peak stands at 14,110 feet and greets travelers entering Colorado from the
east on Interstate 70 and dominates the Colorado Springs skyline. Pikes Peak has
a road (Pikes Peak Highway) and a cog railway to the summit. Pikes Peak is the
easternmost fourteener in the United States. Standing on the summit inspired
Katherine Bates to pen “America the Beautiful”, a poem which was later put to music.
Pikes Peak also offers the highest elevation gain in Colorado with a vertical
rise of 7,800 feet above downtown Manitou Springs in just over 7 miles. Pikes Peak
is the monarch of the southern Front Range and is the second most prominent
peak in Colorado behind Mt. Elbert.
Mt. Bierstadt stands at 14,060 feet and is the lowest Front Range fourteener. It is
one of Colorado’s easiest fourteeners and is frequently climbed in winter.
Drainages of the Front RangeMajor Rivers of the Colorado Front Range
South Platte River
The South Platte River has several tributaries within it's watershed. The headwaters
of the south fork of the South Platte River is near Weston Pass at 11,900 feet in the
Mosquito Range. The headwaters of the middle fork of the South Platte River is near
Wheeler Lake in the basin northwest of Mt. Lincoln. The headwaters of the north fork
is near the east slopes of Whale Peak on the Continental Divide.
The south and middle forks drain from west to east across the high mountain valley of South Park and
combine just south of US Highway 24 east of Hartsel and enters Spinnery Mountain Reservoir in
Spinney Mountain State Park. They then pass through Eleven Mile State Park and the beautiful
Eleven Mile Canyon before passing under US Highway 24 in Lake George.
Soon after crossing US Highway 24 it combines with Tarryall Creek, a beautiful stream
with headwaters near Boreas Pass on the Continental Divide that passes between the
Puma Hills and the Lost Creek Wilderness, and skirts the southeast border of the
Lost Creek Wilderness through the 2002 Hayman burn area. It then passes through
the small community of Deckers and below the east face of Long Scraggy Peak.
Not far past Long Scraggy Peak the combined south and middle forks combine with the north fork in
Platte Canyon near the small community of South Platte. It generally follows US Highway 285 as it skirts the
north side of the Platte River Mountains and the Lost Creek Wilderness before heading cross country near
the small community of Bailey prior to combining with the south and middle forks.
Arkansas River
The Arkansas River headwaters are located well west of the Front Range near Leadville just south of the
Continental Divide between the Sawatch Range and the Mosquito Range. The east fork of the Arkansas
River headwaters are near Fremont Pass and Mount Arkansas northeast of Leadville. The lake fork of the
Arkansas River headwaters are near Timberline Lake above and to the west of Turquoise Lake near
Leadville.
The Arkansas River drains south from Leadville through the communities of Buena
Vista and Salida. Arkansas Headwaters State Park is located near Salida and is a
tribute to this wonderful river. Beyond Salida the Arkansas enters Bighorn Sheep
Canyon and then the Royal Gorge before entering the fast growing community of
Canon City. The Royal Gorge is spanned by the Royal Gorge Bridge, the highest
suspension bridge in the world, with a vertical drop of 1,053 feet from the bridge
down to the river. The area is a little touristy but worth a visit if you have the
time. The stretch between Buena Vista and Canon City offer some of the best
whitewater in the Country with the most popular sections being Brown's Canyon
north of Salida and the Royal Gorge.
East from Canon City the Arkansas exits the mountains on it's way to Pueblo. The portion between Salida
and Pueblo loosely separates the Front Range Pikes Peak region to the north from the Sangre de Cristo
and Wet Mountain Ranges to the south. East of Pueblo the Arkansas passes through the eastern plains,
Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas where it empties into the Mississippi River.
The Pikes Peak region of the Front Range has several lesser rivers and creeks which
drain into the Arkansas between Canon City and Pueblo. Two of the more significant
are Beaver Creek and Fountain Creek. Beaver Creek drains much of the south slopes
and foothills of Pikes Peak through Bureau of Land Management ground. This is one
of the least visited areas in the Pikes Peak Region and claims to have one of the
highest concentrations of mountain lions in the state. It meets the Arkansas between
Penrose and Pueblo. Fountain Creek orginates on the north slopes of Pikes Peak near
Woodland Park and drains southeast towards Colorado Springs along US Highway 24.
On the south side of Colorado Springs it waters are boosted by Monument Creek from
the Rampart Range to the north and drains south to meet the Arkansas in Pueblo.
Colorado River
 Colorado Headwaters from Lulu Mountain
The Colorado River has the honor of beginning in Rocky Mountain National Park on the
west side of La Poudre Pass on the Continental Divide. The first few miles of the
Colorado River are accessible for hikers from the Lulu City trailhead on Trail Ridge Road.
The Colorado then enters civilization as it flows down the Kawuneeche Valley
paralleling Trail Ridge Road. This is an excellent place for viewing elk and is much less
crowded than the eastern portion of the park. Exiting the valley, the Colorado passes
just west of Grand Lake, the largest natural lake in Colorado and is first captured for
water storage in Shadow Mountain Lake and Lake Granby. Water is pumped from these
reservoirs and Grand Lake through the Alva B. Adams tunnel to the Big Thompson River,
a tributary of the South Platte River, on the east slopes of the National Park.
Upon exiting Lake Granby the Colorado travels west to pass just south of Kremmling and into Gore Canyon
and eventually Glenwood Canyon. These beautiful canyons are popular whitewater destinations in the late
spring and early summer.
On it's travels westward the Colorado passes through dozens of beautiful National Parks and State
Parks. It is also on of the most managed rivers in the western United States providing drinking
water for millions of Americans. For this reason it is also one of the most litigated rivers in the
country. You can find much more detail and discussion on the Colorado River here.
A list of all of Colorado's rivers including those above along with major tributaries can be found here.
Disclaimer: Information provided here was compiled from information in various guidebooks and websites
that cover the Front Range. Images
|
|
