Hilliard Peak is a 13,422-foot (4,091 m) mountain summit in Pitkin County, Colorado, United States.

Hilliard Peak
East aspect, centered, from Castle Peak
Highest point
Elevation13,422 ft (4,091 m)[1]
Prominence311 ft (95 m)[1]
Parent peakKeefe Peak (13,532 ft)[1]
Isolation0.65 mi (1.05 km)[1]
Coordinates39°01′27″N 106°54′35″W / 39.0242105°N 106.9096509°W / 39.0242105; -106.9096509[2]
Naming
EtymologyEdward Hobbs Hilliard, Jr.
Geography
Hilliard Peak is located in Colorado
Hilliard Peak
Hilliard Peak
Location in Colorado
Hilliard Peak is located in the United States
Hilliard Peak
Hilliard Peak
Hilliard Peak (the United States)
CountryUnited States
StateColorado
CountyPitkin County
Protected areaMaroon Bells–Snowmass Wilderness
Parent rangeRocky Mountains
Elk Mountains[3]
Topo mapUSGS Maroon Bells
Climbing
Easiest routeclass 2+[1]

Description

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Hilliard Peak is located 17 miles (27 km) west of the Continental Divide in the Elk Mountains which are a subrange of the Rocky Mountains. It ranks as the 306th-highest peak in Colorado.[1] The mountain is situated 12 miles (19 km) south-southwest of the community of Aspen and 2.8 miles (4.5 km) west-northwest of Castle Peak. The peak is set in the Maroon Bells–Snowmass Wilderness on land managed by White River National Forest. Precipitation runoff from the mountain's slopes drains into tributaries of the Roaring Fork River which is a tributary of the Colorado River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 2,800 feet (853 m) above Conundrum Creek in 1.3 miles (2.1 km) and 2,400 feet (732 m) above East Maroon Creek in 1.2 miles (1.9 km).

Etymology

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Hilliard Peak centered and North Maroon Peak in upper right corner of frame.

The mountain's toponym was officially adopted on December 9, 1975, by the United States Board on Geographic Names to commemorate Edward H. Hilliard, Jr. (1922–1970), conservationist and environmentalist.[2] He was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on October 16, 1922. He served as an Infantry Lieutenant in France during World War II, then completed his college education at Yale University in 1948, then moved to Colorado in 1949.[4] Hilliard died on August 15, 1970, when he and a climbing companion were killed by a rockfall near the summit of North Maroon Peak.[5]

Climate

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According to the Köppen climate classification system, Hilliard Peak is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone with 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.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Hilliard Peak - 13,422' CO". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Hilliard Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  3. ^ "Hilliard Peak, Colorado". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  4. ^ Edward Hilliard, Jr. Papers, Denver Public Library, Western History and Genealogy
  5. ^ Andrews D. Black (1971), Edward H. Hilliard, Jr., 1922-1970, americanalpineclub.org
  6. ^ 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.
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