West Elk Peak
More photographs at the Wikimedia Commons category.
West Elk Peak rises to 3,975 m in Colorado. Mount Owen stands 3,969 m to the north-northeast, 14 miles off. The nearest named place is North Baldy Mountain, a peak 1.4 miles away. Silver Thread Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway passes 17 miles off. 136 named places lie within 25 miles, 60 of them named summits.
The story
West Elk Peak, elevation 13,042 ft (3,975 m), is the highest summit in the West Elk Mountains of Gunnison County, Colorado. The mountain is in the West Elk Wilderness, northwest of Gunnison.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q14685165, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 3,975 m
How to reach it
- 17.5 mi off the Silver Thread Colorado Scenic and Historic Byway, National
136 named places within 25 miles
- North Baldy Mountain: 1.4 mi
- Middle Baldy: 2.0 mi
- The Castles: 2.2 mi
- Castle View Point: 2.4 mi
- Middle Baldy Mountain: 2.8 mi
- Sapinero State Wildlife Area: 13.6 mi
- Big Mine Park: 15.4 mi
- Henderson Park: 15.5 mi
- Totem Pole Park: 15.6 mi
- Town Park: 15.7 mi
- Rock Spring: 9.7 mi
- Poison Spring: 11.1 mi
- Erickson Springs: 16.7 mi
- German Creek Springs: 19.6 mi
- Pole Patch Springs: 19.9 mi
- Bay of Chickens: 16.7 mi
- Erickson Springs Picnic Site: 16.8 mi
- Old Stevens: 17.0 mi
- Neversink: 17.1 mi
- Cooper Ranch: 17.3 mi
- Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum: 15.6 mi
- Pioneer Museum: 19.4 mi
- Paonia Museum: 24.0 mi
- Bowie Schoolhouse Museum: 24.0 mi
- Marble Museum: 24.4 mi
- Irwin Cemetery: 10.6 mi
- Benjamin C. Heilman Grave: 13.8 mi
- Crystal Mill: 24.1 mi
- Judd Falls: 20.5 mi
- Chipeta Falls: 21.2 mi
- Devil’s Punch Bowl: 23.8 mi
- Dillon Pinnacles: 16.4 mi
- Needle Rock: 18.9 mi
- Knight and Dragon: 15.7 mi
- CBCS Community Garden: 15.8 mi
- Hartman Rocks: 20.5 mi
- The Raggeds: 21.7 mi
Other summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of West Elk Peak. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Owen | NNE 17° | 3,969 m | 13.8 mi |
| North Baldy Mountain | SSE 152° | 3,917 m | 1.4 mi |
| Purple Peak | NNE 18° | 3,887 m | 14.1 mi |
| Middle Baldy | S 173° | 3,872 m | 2.0 mi |
| Mount Gunnison | WNW 303° | 3,860 m | 11.8 mi |
| Ruby Peak | NNE 17° | 3,853 m | 13.0 mi |
| Afley Peak | NNE 17° | 3,843 m | 14.7 mi |
| Middle Baldy Mountain | S 171° | 3,838 m | 2.8 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:13 | 18:46 | 19:21 |
| June solstice | 05:45 | 19:58 | 20:38 |
| September equinox | 06:57 | 18:32 | 19:07 |
| December solstice | 07:24 | 16:09 | 16:51 |
Local time (America/Denver).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Jun–Aug.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 10 | 14 | 22 | 33 | 43 | 52 | 58 | 56 | 49 | 38 | 24 | 11 |
| Precip in | 2.7 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 0.9 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 2.3 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Crested Butte, 16 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOpenStreetMap element node/358922647
Day trips start here
Take the scenic way to West Elk Peak.
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