Mount Sneffels facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mount Sneffels |
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View of Mount Sneffels from the north
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 14,150 ft (4315.4 m) NAVD88 |
| Prominence | 3050 ft (930 m) |
| Isolation | 15.71 mi (25.3 km) |
| Listing |
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| Geography | |
 Mount Sneffels
Location in Colorado
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| Location | High point of Ouray County, Colorado, United States |
| Parent range | San Juan Mountains, Highest summit of the Sneffels Range |
| Topo map | USGS 7.5' topographic map Mount Sneffels, Colorado |
Mount Sneffels is a very tall mountain in the Rocky Mountains of North America. It is the highest peak in the Sneffels Range. This amazing mountain is located in Colorado, United States, specifically in Ouray County. It is also the highest point in Ouray County!
Mount Sneffels is known as a "fourteener" because it is over 14,000 feet tall. Its exact height is 14,158-foot (4315.4 m). The mountain is part of the Mount Sneffels Wilderness in the Uncompahgre National Forest. It is about 10.8 kilometers (6.7 miles) west of the City of Ouray.
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About Mount Sneffels
Mount Sneffels stands out because it rises very high above the land around it. For example, it is 7,200 feet taller than the town of Ridgway, Colorado, which is only 6 miles away. This makes it look very impressive.
Climbing Mount Sneffels
There are a couple of main ways to reach the top of Mount Sneffels. The most common path follows a creek bed that starts from a place called Yankee Boy Basin. Another way to climb the mountain is by following a ridge line from the saddle of Blue Lakes Pass.
Its Name and History
Mount Sneffels got its name from a volcano in Iceland called Snæfell. That Icelandic mountain and its glacier, Snæfellsjökull, were featured in a famous Jules Verne novel called A Journey to the Center of the Earth. Interestingly, one side of Mount Sneffels in Colorado looks a bit like a volcanic crater.
Mount Sneffels is one of the most photographed mountains in Colorado. Many people take pictures of it from the Dallas Divide on State Highway 62.
Past Names of the Mountain
Over time, Mount Sneffels has been known by a few different names:
- Mount Blaine
- Mount Sneffels – This name became official in 1906.
- Sneffels Peak
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