Engineer Mountain is a 12,968-foot-elevation (3,953-meter) mountain summit located in San Juan County, Colorado, United States.[3] It is part of the San Juan Mountains range which is a subset of the Rocky Mountains, and is west of the Continental Divide. Engineer Mountain is a prominent landmark set 1.5 mile immediately west of Coal Bank Pass, and is visible from multiple viewpoints along Highway 550, making it one of the most photographed mountains in the San Juans.[5] It is situated 11 miles southwest of the community of Silverton, on land managed by San Juan National Forest. Topographic relief is significant as the southwest aspect rises 3,800 feet (1,200 meters) above Cascade Creek in approximately two miles. Neighbors include Snowdon Peak seven miles to the east, and Twilight Peak, five miles to the southeast.
| Engineer Mountain | |
|---|---|
 Southeast aspect | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 12,968 ft (3,953 m)[1] |
| Prominence | 1,408 ft (429 m)[1] |
| Parent peak | Rolling Mountain (13,693 ft)[2] |
| Isolation | 4.74 mi (7.63 km)[2] |
| Coordinates | 37°41′57″N 107°48′24″W / 37.6992257°N 107.8067202°W[3] |
| Geography | |
  Engineer Mountain Location in Colorado  Engineer Mountain Engineer Mountain (the United States) | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Colorado |
| County | San Juan |
| Protected area | San Juan National Forest |
| Parent range | Rocky Mountains San Juan Mountains |
| Topo map | USGS Engineer Mountain |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | Tertiary[4] |
| Rock type | Quartz trachyte, Cutler Formation[4] |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | class 3 scramble[2] Northeast Ridge |
Climate
editAccording to the Köppen climate classification system, Engineer Mountain is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone with long, cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers.[6] Due to its altitude, it receives precipitation all year, as snow in winter, and as thunderstorms in summer, with a dry period in late spring. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Animas River.
Gallery
edit-
Northeast aspect -
View of the summit from Northeast Ridge -
Southeast aspect -
Aerial view, with Coal Bank Pass to right side -
West aspect -
North aspect -
.jpg)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Engineer Mountain, Colorado". Peakbagger.com.
- ^ a b c "Engineer Mountain - 12,968' CO". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
- ^ a b "Engineer Mountain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
- ^ a b Description of the Engineer Mountain Quadrangle, Whitman Cross, USGS, 1910, Retrieved 2024-07-18.
- ^ J. D. Tanner, Emily Ressler-Tanner, Hiking the Four Corners: A Guide to the Area's Greatest Hiking Adventures, 2015, Falcon Guides, ISBN 9781493014637, page 45.
- ^ Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11. ISSN 1027-5606.
External links
edit- Weather forecast: Engineer Mountain
- Engineer Mountain drone video: YouTube
