Chiefs Head Peak
Description
Chiefs Head Peak is set along the Continental Divide in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The mountain is situated within Rocky Mountain National Park and is the third-highest peak in the park. It is also the third-highest peak in Boulder County. Precipitation runoff from the mountain's south slope drains into North St. Vrain Creek, the north slope drains to Glacier Creek which is a tributary of the Big Thompson River, and the lower west slope drains to Grand Lake via North Inlet. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 2,000 feet (610 meters) above Frozen Lake in one-half mile. The mountain's toponym was officially adopted in 1911 by the United States Board on Geographic Names. The Arapaho called this peak hookuhu'eeno or "Head Mountain" because of a profile resemblance to a chief wearing a war bonnet.
Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Chiefs Head Peak is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers. 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
- List of peaks in Rocky Mountain National Park
- Mountains of Boulder County, Colorado
- Thirteener
- Mountains portal
Gallery
References
- ^ "Chiefs Head Peak - 13,577' CO". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ^ "Chiefs Head Peak, Colorado". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ^ "Chiefs Head Peak, Peakvisor.com". Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ^ "Chiefs Head Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- ^ Geologic map of the Estes Park 30' x 60' quadrangle, north-central Colorado, W.A. Braddock, U.S. Geological Survey, 1984.
- ^ Lexicon of Geologic Names of the United States (including Alaska). Part 2 (1936), U.S. Government Printing Office, p. 2227.
- ^ Lisa Foster (2005), Rocky Mountain National Park: The Complete Hiking Guide, Westcliffe Publishers, ISBN 9781565795501, p. 59.
- ^ Boulder County CO Peaks List, listsofjohn.com, Retrieved April 23, 2023.
- ^ Joe Milligan (1997), Guide to the Colorado Mountains: I-70 Skylines, Westcliffe Publishers, ISBN 9781565791916, p. 22.
- ^ 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
- Weather forecast: Chiefs Head Peak
- Chiefs Head rock climbing: Mountainproject.com