Discover 9 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Collegiate Peaks Wilderness (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Mount Belford, La Plata Peak, and Mount Columbia. Also, be sure to include Mount Oxford in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Collegiate Peaks Wilderness (Colorado).
Table of Contents
Mount Belford
Mountain in Colorado. Mount Belford is a high mountain summit of the Collegiate Peaks in the Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The 14,203-foot fourteener is located in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness of San Isabel National Forest, 15.0 miles northwest by west of the Town of Buena Vista in Chaffee County, Colorado, United States.[1]
La Plata Peak
Summit in Colorado. La Plata Peak is the fifth-highest summit of the Rocky Mountains of North America and the U.S. state of Colorado. The prominent 14,343-foot fourteener is located in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness of San Isabel National Forest, 22.7 miles northwest by west of the Town of Buena Vista in Chaffee County, Colorado, United States.
"La Plata" is Spanish for "The Silver", a reference to the many silver deposits in the area. The nearby ghost towns of Winfield and Hamilton were prominent silver mining towns in the early part of the 20th century. A Hayden Survey team first climbed the peak on July 26, 1873.
The elevation of 14,361 feet marked on the USGS Mount Elbert Quadrangle is incorrect, and should read 14,336 feet (in the NGVD 29 vertical datum).[2]
Mount Columbia
Mountain in Colorado. Mount Columbia is a high mountain summit of the Collegiate Peaks in the Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The 14,077-foot fourteener is located in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness of San Isabel National Forest, 9.9 miles northwest by west of the Town of Buena Vista in Chaffee County, Colorado, United States. The mountain was named by Roger W. Toll in honor of his alma mater, Columbia University, and in commemoration of its rowing victory at the renowned Henley Royal Regatta in 1878.[3]
Mount Oxford
Mountain in Colorado. Mount Oxford is a high mountain summit of the Collegiate Peaks in the Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The 14,160-foot fourteener is located in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness of San Isabel National Forest, 14.2 miles northwest of the Town of Buena Vista in Chaffee County, Colorado, United States. The mountain was named in honor of the University of Oxford.[4]
Mount Harvard
Summit in Colorado. Mount Harvard is the third highest summit of the Rocky Mountains of North America and the U.S. state of Colorado. The prominent 14,421-foot fourteener is the highest summit of the Collegiate Peaks and the fourth highest summit in the contiguous United States. Mount Harvard is located in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness of San Isabel National Forest, 11.7 miles northwest by west of the Town of Buena Vista in Chaffee County, Colorado, United States. The summit of Mount Harvard is the highest point in Chaffee County and is higher than any point in the United States east of its longitude. The mountain was named in honor of Harvard University.[5]
Huron Peak
Mountain in Colorado. Huron Peak is a high mountain summit of the Collegiate Peaks in the Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The 14,012-foot fourteener is located in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness of San Isabel National Forest, 18.0 miles west-northwest of the Town of Buena Vista in Chaffee County, Colorado, United States.[6]
Missouri Mountain
Mountain in Colorado. Missouri Mountain is a high mountain summit in the Collegiate Peaks of the Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The 14,074-foot fourteener is located in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness of San Isabel National Forest, 15.2 miles northwest by west of the Town of Buena Vista in Chaffee County, Colorado, United States. Missouri Mountain is separated from its eastern neighbor Mount Belford by Elkhead Pass.[7]
Collegiate Peaks
Mountain range in Colorado. The Collegiate Peaks is a name given to a section of the Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains located in central Colorado. Drainages to the east include headwaters of the Arkansas River.
The Collegiate Peaks include some of the highest mountains in the Rockies. The section is so named because several of the mountains are named for prominent universities.[8]
Winfield Peak
Mountain in Colorado. Winfield Peak is a mountain summit of the Collegiate Peaks in the Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The 13,084-foot summit is located in Chaffee County, Colorado, U.S., two miles north of the ghost town of Winfield.[9]