Hobbs Peak (Wyoming)
Description
Hobbs Peak is located in the remote Wind River Range which is a subrange of the Rocky Mountains. It is set nine miles (14 km) east of the Continental Divide within the Popo Agie Wilderness, on land managed by Shoshone National Forest. Hobbs Peak ranks as the 40th-highest peak in the wilderness and is two miles (3.2 km) west of Hobbs Park. The nearest town is Lander, 18 miles (29 km) to the southeast. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Wind River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises over 1,800 feet (550 meters) above Sand Lake in 0.85 mile (1.37 km). The mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names.
Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Hobbs Peak has an alpine subarctic climate with long, 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.
| Climate data for Hobbs Peak (WY) 42.8653 N, 109.1249 W, Elevation: 11,158 ft (3,401 m) (1991–2020 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 23.8 (−4.6) |
23.7 (−4.6) |
29.7 (−1.3) |
35.3 (1.8) |
43.8 (6.6) |
54.2 (12.3) |
63.7 (17.6) |
62.2 (16.8) |
53.3 (11.8) |
41.0 (5.0) |
29.3 (−1.5) |
22.8 (−5.1) |
40.2 (4.6) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 14.1 (−9.9) |
13.2 (−10.4) |
18.4 (−7.6) |
23.5 (−4.7) |
32.1 (0.1) |
41.8 (5.4) |
50.1 (10.1) |
49.3 (9.6) |
41.1 (5.1) |
29.9 (−1.2) |
19.7 (−6.8) |
13.4 (−10.3) |
28.9 (−1.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 4.3 (−15.4) |
2.7 (−16.3) |
7.2 (−13.8) |
11.7 (−11.3) |
20.5 (−6.4) |
29.4 (−1.4) |
36.4 (2.4) |
36.4 (2.4) |
28.8 (−1.8) |
18.8 (−7.3) |
10.1 (−12.2) |
3.9 (−15.6) |
17.5 (−8.1) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.86 (47) |
2.04 (52) |
2.81 (71) |
4.57 (116) |
5.08 (129) |
2.60 (66) |
1.30 (33) |
1.19 (30) |
2.00 (51) |
2.52 (64) |
2.02 (51) |
1.99 (51) |
29.98 (761) |
| Source: PRISM Climate Group | |||||||||||||
Hobbs Park is an elevated plain at the foot of Hobbs Peak. Hobbs Park also has a subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc) but is slightly warmer due to its lower elevation.
| Climate data for Hobbs Park, Wyoming, 1991–2020 normals: 10100ft (3078m) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 29.7 (−1.3) |
30.2 (−1.0) |
36.7 (2.6) |
42.0 (5.6) |
49.7 (9.8) |
58.6 (14.8) |
67.3 (19.6) |
65.6 (18.7) |
56.6 (13.7) |
45.0 (7.2) |
34.6 (1.4) |
27.9 (−2.3) |
45.3 (7.4) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 18.8 (−7.3) |
18.6 (−7.4) |
24.4 (−4.2) |
29.5 (−1.4) |
38.1 (3.4) |
46.5 (8.1) |
54.3 (12.4) |
52.9 (11.6) |
44.9 (7.2) |
34.3 (1.3) |
24.2 (−4.3) |
17.7 (−7.9) |
33.7 (1.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 7.9 (−13.4) |
6.9 (−13.9) |
12.1 (−11.1) |
17.1 (−8.3) |
26.6 (−3.0) |
34.5 (1.4) |
41.3 (5.2) |
40.2 (4.6) |
33.2 (0.7) |
23.4 (−4.8) |
13.8 (−10.1) |
7.4 (−13.7) |
22.0 (−5.5) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.58 (40) |
1.91 (49) |
2.99 (76) |
4.19 (106) |
4.50 (114) |
2.27 (58) |
1.15 (29) |
1.14 (29) |
1.92 (49) |
2.42 (61) |
1.83 (46) |
1.84 (47) |
27.74 (704) |
| Source 1: XMACIS2 | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA (Precipitation) | |||||||||||||
Hazards
Encountering bears is a concern in the Wind River Range. There are other concerns as well, including bugs, wildfires, adverse snow conditions and nighttime cold temperatures.
Importantly, there have been notable incidents, including accidental deaths, due to falls from steep cliffs (a misstep could be fatal in this class 4/5 terrain) and due to falling rocks, over the years, including 1993, 2007 (involving an experienced NOLS leader), 2015 and 2018. Other incidents include a seriously injured backpacker being airlifted near Squaretop Mountain in 2005, and a fatal hiker incident (from an apparent accidental fall) in 2006 that involved state search and rescue.
See also
References
- ^ "Hobbs Peak - 11,663' WY". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
- ^ "Hobbs Peak, Peakvisor.com". Retrieved 2023-07-21.
- ^ "Hobbs Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University". PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
To find the table data on the PRISM website, start by clicking Coordinates (under Location); copy Latitude and Longitude figures from top of table; click Zoom to location; click Precipitation, Minimum temp, Mean temp, Maximum temp; click 30-year normals, 1991-2020; click 800m; click Retrieve Time Series button.
- ^ "xmACIS2". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
- ^ "Hobbs Park, Wyoming 1991-2020 Monthly Normals". Retrieved October 12, 2023.
- ^ Staff (April 24, 2017). "Bear Safety in Wyoming's Wind River Country". WindRiver.org. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
- ^ Ballou, Dawn (July 27, 2005). "Wind River Range condition update - Fires, trails, bears, Continental Divide". PineDaleOnline News. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
- ^ Staff (1993). "Falling Rock, Loose Rock, Failure to Test Holds, Wyoming, Wind River Range, Seneca Lake". American Alpine Club. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
- ^ MacDonald, Dougald (August 14, 2007). "Trundled Rock Kills NOLS Leader". Climbing. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
- ^ Staff (December 9, 2015). "Officials rule Wind River Range climbing deaths accidental". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
- ^ Dayton, Kelsey (August 24, 2018). "Deadly underestimation". WyoFile News. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
- ^ Funk, Jason (2009). "Squaretop Mountain Rock Climbing". Mountain Project. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
- ^ Staff (July 22, 2005). "Injured man rescued from Square Top Mtn - Tip-Top Search & Rescue helps 2 injured on the mountain". PineDaleOnline News. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
- ^ Staff (September 1, 2006). "Incident Reports - September, 2006 - Wind River Search". WildernessDoc.com. Archived from the original on January 27, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
External links
- Weather forecast: Hobbs Peak