| Gore Range | |
|---|---|
 Buffalo Mountain (left) at the southern end of the Gore Range seen fromDillon Reservoir. | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Mount Powell |
| Elevation | 13,566 ft (4,135 m) |
| Listing | Mountain ranges of Colorado |
| Coordinates | 39°45′36″N106°20′27″W / 39.76000°N 106.34083°W /39.76000; -106.34083 |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 77 mi (124 km) N-S |
| Width | 46 mi (74 km) E-W |
| Area | 1,420 mi2 (3,700 km2) |
| Geography | |
  Gore Range Gore Range | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Colorado |
| Counties | |
| Parent range | Southern Rocky Mountains |
TheGore Range (elevation approximately 12,000 ft) is a mountain range in theRocky Mountains of north centralColorado in theUnited States. The native Ute name was the Shining Mountains.[1]
The range runs for approximately 60 miles (100 km) northwest-to-southeast, through westernGrand andSummit counties, and easternRoutt andEagle counties. They form the southern extension of thePark Range, extending southward fromRabbit Ears Pass (U.S. Highway 40) to theEagle River andGore Creek nearVail. TheColorado River passes through the range atGore Canyon. The range forms part of the western boundary ofMiddle Park at the headwaters of the Colorado, separating it from the upper basin of theYampa River to the west. The northern section of the range north of Gore Pass is somewhat lower than the southern section, along the western side of the valley of theBlue River. The ridges of the range are prominently visible on clear days from the summit ofTrail Ridge Road inRocky Mountain National Park approximately 50 miles (80 km) to the east. The range is traversed at its southern and southwestern lower flanks by Interstate 70 from Silverthorne to Vail. Much of the range is located within the Arapaho and White River National Forests, and large portions are protected within theEagles Nest Wilderness.
The Gore Range is afault block mountain range, bounded on the west by the Gore fault zone, athrust fault, and on the east by the Blue Rivernormal fault. Ahalf-graben created by this fault underlies the Blue River Valley and is the northernmost topographical expression of theRio Grande rift. The rock of the Gore Range isPaleoproterozoicgranite andmetasedimentarygneiss andschist.[2][3]
The topography of the range is predominantly the result of glacial erosion and deposition during thePleistocene epoch, forming numerous U-shaped valleys and cirques separated by jagged, sharp ridges akaarêtes. The range has been described as more one of ridges instead of separated peaks, with summits at ridge junctions and high points. Many of the summits have a similar elevation of around 13,000 feet (4000 meters).[2][3][4]
The range was named forSir St George Gore, 8th Baronet, an Irish hunter who visited the area in the 1850s on a notorioushunting expedition throughout theAmerican West. Gore's three-year stopover in the American West had him traversing what is today the Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. The figures are difficult to substantiate, but Gore himself claimed to have killed more than 2,000 buffalo, 1,600 elk and deer and 100 bears for sport, with the carcasses being left to rot.[1]
Green Mountain Reservoir Trail is in the northern Gore Range, part of theRocky Mountains in theU.S. state ofColorado. It is located among the developed campgrounds along the shore ofGreen Mountain Reservoir,Summit County. Green Mountain Reservoir is north ofInterstate 70, west ofHighway 9, north ofSilverthorne and nearHeeney. Green Mountain projects skyward at the north end of Green Mountain Reservoir, with anescarpment that may interest rock climbers and abandonedmines that place the area in historical context. Below the peak, the surrounding hills are highdesert, covered in sagebrush. Among the sagebrush, many wildflowers bloom. Green Mountain Trail winds throughsagebrush fields among the campsites on the eastern shore ofGreen Mountain Reservoir. Wildflowers that may be found in late spring includebuttercup, mountain ballcactus,moss campion, Wyoming paintbrushCastilleja and alpinephlox. Greatest Hikes in Central Colorado: Summit and Eagle Counties, a hiking guide by Kim Fenske, provides a description of Green Mountain Reservoir Trail.
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