| La Garita Mountains | |
|---|---|
 Silver Park in the La Garita Mountains | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Phoenix Peak |
| Elevation | 13,895 ft (4,235 m)[1] |
| Coordinates | 37°56′11″N106°51′59″W / 37.9363901°N 106.8662693°W /37.9363901; -106.8662693[1] |
| Geography | |
  La Garita Mountains | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Colorado |
| Counties | Saguache andMineral |
| Parent range | San Juan Mountains,Rocky Mountains |
TheLa Garita Mountains are a highmountain range in theSan Juan Mountains, a sub-range of theSouthern Rocky Mountains. The mountains are located inSaguache andMineral counties in southwesternColorado and are almost entirely managed as public land within theRio Grande National Forest.[1]
The La Garita Mountains extend from near the town ofCreede east and northeast over 30 miles (48 km) toward theSan Luis Valley. The range is marked by a circuitous ridge with the westernnmost peak beingPhoenix Peak (elevation 13,895 feet (4,235 m)) near theContinental Divide and the easternmost peak being Lookout Mountain (elevation 11,516 feet (3,510 m)) nearCarnero Pass.[1]
La Garita means'the lookout' in Spanish. Along this range climbers can look south across the upperRio Grande Valley and east across theSan Luis Valley.
The western third of the La Garita Mountains is protected within theLa Garita Wilderness, one of Colorado's lesser-known wilderness areas. Travel in the wilderness is restricted to those on foot and horseback, while the remainder of the range is more accessible with multiple roads allowing mechanized travel. The range includesmontane andsubalpine forests and meadows andalpine tundra that provide ideal habitats for elk and mule deer.[2][3]
The La Garita Mountains are dominated byTertiaryvolcanic rocks, includinglavas, ash flowtuffs, andbreccias. These materials originated from over a dozen volcanoes and multiple eruptions in theSan Juan volcanic field. The rocks exposed today are from eruptions 35 million years ago to 26 million years ago.[4][5]
After major eruptions emptied themagma chamber below these volcanoes, the overlying rock could collapse and produce a sunken crater called acaldera. Evidence of such calderas are found throughout the San Juan Volcanic Field, including where the La Garita Mountains occur today. One of the largest of these volcanoes was the La Garita Caldera, which is located on the western extent of the La Garita Mountains. It was active 27.8 million years ago, and within this caldera, later eruptions (27.3 million years ago) produced the Bachelor Caldera. Through time, these calderas have filled with additional volcanic material ejected from other volcanoes, and subsequent erosion has reshaped the landscape making the ancient calderas now difficult to detect.[6][7]
Evidence ofglaciation is present at the highest elevations of the La Garita Mountains. Glacialcirques are particularly evident along the higher, western extent of the range wheretarns andglacial deposits are found.[4][6]
TheWheeler Geologic Area, located along the northeast wall the Bachelor Caldera, is noted for its eroded and exposed layers of volcanic tuff that filled the caldera. This 27 million year old tuff was ejected from eruptions in the San Luis Caldera Complex located north of the La Garita Mountains.[6]
The climate of the La Garita Mountains is classified in the Köppen system as asubarctic climate (Dfc) at lower elevations and atundra climate (ET) above treeline, with cold, snowy winters and cool summers. It receives precipitation as snow in winter and as thunderstorms in summer, with June typically being a drier month.[8][9][10]
Notable summits along the La Garita Mountains’ ridge, as delineated by theUnited States Board on Geographic Names, from west to east.[1]
Media related toLa Garita Mountains at Wikimedia CommonsDenver (capital) | |
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