| Mount Wilson | |
|---|---|
 Mount Wilson | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 14,254.1 ft (4,344.6 m)[1] NAPGD2022 |
| Prominence | 4,024 ft (1,227 m)[2] |
| Isolation | 33.0 mi (53.1 km)[2] |
| Listing | |
| Coordinates | 37°50′21″N107°59′29″W / 37.8391607°N 107.9914581°W /37.8391607; -107.9914581[3] |
| Geography | |
  Mount Wilson Location inColorado | |
| Location | High point ofDolores County,Colorado,United States[2] |
| Parent range | Highest summit of the San Miguel Mountains[2] |
| Topo map(s) | USGS 7.5' topographic map Mount Wilson, Colorado[3] |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | September 13, 1874, by A. D. Wilson, Franklin Rhoda, and others (Hayden Survey party) |
| Easiest route | Southwest Slopes: Scramble,class 3[4] |
Mount Wilson is thehighest summit of theSan Miguel Mountains range of theRocky Mountains ofNorth America. Theprominent 14,254.1-foot (4,345 m)fourteener is located in theLizard Head Wilderness ofSan Juan National Forest, 10.6 miles (17.1 km) north by east (bearing 12°) of theTown of Rico inDolores County,Colorado,United States.[a][2][3] Mount Wilson should not be confused with the lowerWilson Peak nearby.
The peak was named forA.D. Wilson, a topographer with theHayden Survey. He was in the first ascent party, which climbed the peak on September 13, 1874, via the south ridge (a difficult route, not often climbed today).[5]
Mount Wilson is ranked among the top ten hardest of the Coloradofourteeners to climb.[6][5] The standard climbing route ascends the North Face from Navajo Basin. Some permanent snowfields exist high in the basin (sometimes termed "Navajo Glacier") and the climb usually involves snow travel, withice axe andcrampons recommended. Scrambling on rock then leads to the summit.
A popular, though long, outing for expert climbers is the mile-long ridge connecting Mount Wilson toEl Diente Peak. The ridge is sharp and rocky, and requires difficult scrambling and often a small amount ofrappelling.
In 2010, experienced climber Peter Topp, was killed in a rockslide and lightning storm while traversing the Mount Wilson traverse to El Diente Peak with a small climbing party. Two other climbers were seriously injured in the accident.[7][8]
In July 2024, 21-year old hiker John James Coffee was fatally injured while traversing the ridge between Wilson Peak andEl Diente Peak. Coffee fell over 800 feet to his death and was found after failing to return home from his hike.[9][10]
Mount Wilson, and the rest of the San Miguel Mountains, are made up of a large, irregulartertiaryigneousintrusion.[11]
The Mount Wilson region became the site of intensemining activity, particularly forsilver, in the early 1880s. The most famous of these mines was the Silver Pick Mine, which gave its name to Silver Pick Basin, just north of Navajo Basin.
Mount Wilson contains four smallglaciers on its summit, these being the southernmost modern glaciers in the Rocky Mountains and indeed the most southerly in the contiguous US outside theSierra Nevada in California. These descend to 3,887 metres (12,753 ft). None of the glaciers have ever been named, and it has never been investigated whether they are presently active.[12] At least ninerock glaciers, composed of alpinepermafrost, exist on the northern slope of the mountain, extending down to around 10,000 feet (3,050 m), although the lower limit of permafrost is more typically around 11,500 feet (3,500 m).[13]
During thePleistocene glaciers were much more extensive than today, covering the whole summit plateau[14] In glaciations previous to the Wisconsinian, it is generally thought that summit ice caps were even more extensive and joined to form the "San Miguel Glacier" with icecaps in theSan Juan Mountains.[15]
| Climate data for Mount Wilson 37.8368 N, 107.9914 W, Elevation: 13,606 ft (4,147 m) (1991–2020 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 24.4 (−4.2) | 24.1 (−4.4) | 28.5 (−1.9) | 33.6 (0.9) | 42.1 (5.6) | 53.7 (12.1) | 58.4 (14.7) | 56.2 (13.4) | 50.4 (10.2) | 40.9 (4.9) | 31.1 (−0.5) | 24.6 (−4.1) | 39.0 (3.9) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 12.4 (−10.9) | 11.7 (−11.3) | 15.8 (−9.0) | 20.4 (−6.4) | 29.0 (−1.7) | 39.6 (4.2) | 45.1 (7.3) | 43.4 (6.3) | 37.3 (2.9) | 28.2 (−2.1) | 19.4 (−7.0) | 13.0 (−10.6) | 26.3 (−3.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 0.4 (−17.6) | −0.6 (−18.1) | 3.0 (−16.1) | 7.3 (−13.7) | 15.8 (−9.0) | 25.4 (−3.7) | 31.7 (−0.2) | 30.6 (−0.8) | 24.2 (−4.3) | 15.5 (−9.2) | 7.8 (−13.4) | 1.3 (−17.1) | 13.5 (−10.3) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 4.91 (125) | 4.43 (113) | 4.51 (115) | 4.94 (125) | 4.10 (104) | 1.17 (30) | 3.21 (82) | 3.21 (82) | 3.07 (78) | 3.32 (84) | 4.43 (113) | 4.89 (124) | 46.19 (1,175) |
| Source: PRISM Climate Group[16] | |||||||||||||
To find the table data on the PRISM website, start by clickingCoordinates (underLocation); copyLatitude andLongitude figures from top of table; clickZoom to location; clickPrecipitation, Minimum temp, Mean temp, Maximum temp; click30-year normals, 1991-2020; click800m; clickRetrieve Time Series button.
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