Mount Elbert, located in the US state of Colorado, is the largest peak in the Rocky Mountains of North America. The slopes of Elbert are covered with alpine meadows, coniferous and mixed forests, and several well-groomed hiking trails lead to the top of the mountain, which offers picturesque views.
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| Mount Elbert |
Mount Elbert: height and description
The top of Mount Elbert rises to a height of 14440 feet (4401 m) above sea level, the relative height of the mountain reaches 9093 feet (2772 m). Despite the fact that Elbert is only the fourteenth highest mountain in the United States, it also has outstanding titles:
- highest peak in the Rocky Mountains;
- the highest peak in the US state of Colorado;
- the highest point of the Mississippi River Basin.
Elbert, like all of the Rocky Mountains, was formed about 28 million years ago as a result of the Laramian orogeny - the upward movement of the earth's crust due to the collision of lithospheric plates. The mountain consists mainly of quartzite, pegmatite, gneiss, and slate are found on the upper layers.
The massif has a domed shape, the slopes of Elbert are not steep, which allows almost anyone with minimal physical fitness to climb to the top of the mountain.
Location of Mount Elbert on the map
This US mountain range lies in Lake County, in central Colorado. The nearest settlement to the top of Mount Elbert is the small town of Twin Lakes, which is located on the southeastern slope of the mountain at an altitude of about 3000 m.
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| Mount Elbert |
The location of major cities in relation to the slopes of Elbert is as follows:
- Vail is 80 km to the north;
- 209 km to the east - Denver;
- 64 km to the west - Aspen.
Elbert lies in the southern part of the Rocky Mountains and is the highest peak of the Sawatch range. Surrounded by a mountain range there are 14 more large peaks: the nearest in the north is Mount Massif (height - 4398 m), in the east - Longs Peak (4346 m), in the southeast - Pikes Peak (4301 m).
The exact geographical coordinates of the Elbert peak on the map are as follows:
39°07′04″ north latitude;
106°26′43″ West.