Kit Carson Mountain facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kit Carson Mountain |
|
|---|---|
| Kit Carson Peak | |
The Crestones as seen from Mount Adams.
From left to right: Crestone Needle, Crestone Peak, Columbia Point, Kit Carson Peak, and Challenger Point. |
|
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 14,171 ft (4,319 m) |
| Prominence | 1,025 ft (312 m) |
| Isolation | 1.27 mi (2.04 km) |
| Listing | Colorado Fourteener 23rd |
| Geography | |
 Kit Carson Mountain
Location in Colorado
|
|
| Location | Saguache County, Colorado, United States |
| Parent range | Sangre de Cristo Range, Crestones |
| Topo map | USGS 7.5' topographic map Crestone Peak, Colorado |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Scramble Class 2 |
Kit Carson Peak is a high mountain summit of the Crestones in the Sangre de Cristo Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. Officially designated Kit Carson Mountain, the 14,171-foot (4,319 m) fourteener is located 5.2 miles (8.4 km) east by south (bearing 102°) of the Town of Crestone in Saguache County, Colorado, United States.
The mountain is named in honor of frontiersman Christopher Houston "Kit" Carson. The Crestones are a cluster of high summits in the Sangre de Cristo Range, comprising Crestone Peak, Crestone Needle, Kit Carson Peak, Challenger Point, Humboldt Peak, and Columbia Point.
Recent history
In January 2002, the Nature Conservancy announced the signing of a $31 million purchase agreement for the Baca Ranch. The purchase significantly expanded the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in 2004. As part of the transaction Kit Carson Mountain was transferred to the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness within the Rio Grande National Forest.
Climbing
One popular route on Kit Carson Mountain climbs from the west side of the range, starting at Willow Creek Trailhead (elevation: 8,900 ft or 2,700 m). This route first climbs Challenger Point, just to the west of Kit Carson. Climbing from the saddle between Challenger Point to Kit Carson peak involves crossing a path commonly called 'Kit Carson Avenue'. Total elevation gain for this route is 6,250 ft (1,905 m), in a 14 miles (23 km) round-trip.
Kit Carson can also be reached from the east side of the Sangre de Cristos via the South Colony Lakes access. This route starts by using part of the trail for Humboldt Peak, and then traverses a ridge and plateau toward Kit Carson. A sub-peak named Columbia Point, informally known as "Kat Carson" - is climbed on the way to the main summit.
Kit Carson does not have any glaciers but it does have a semi-permanent ice patch on its rugged north face, which rarely melts even in the driest years. During the summer Kit Carson and the neighboring peaks are hit with a cycle of thunder storms, which often form within a short time period; lightning occurs almost daily.
Fatalities also occur because climbers make the mistake of descending the gulley between the summit and Challenger Point. Though the gulley looks like a short cut down, and starts off gently enough, it leads to ice fields, and on the edges it quickly becomes cliffed-out, with patches of scree and loose rock, ending in sheer and highly technical terrain.
Images for kids
-
Kit Carson Peak as seen from the saddle between it and Challenger Point.
