El Diente Peak

El Diente Peak

El Diente Peak from Mount Wilson
Highest point
Elevation 14,165 ft (4,317 m)[1][2]
Prominence 239 ft (73 m)[2]
Isolation 0.75 mi (1.21 km)[2]
Parent peak Mount Wilson[2]
Coordinates 37°50′22″N 108°00′19″W / 37.8394383°N 108.0053474°W / 37.8394383; -108.0053474Coordinates: 37°50′22″N 108°00′19″W / 37.8394383°N 108.0053474°W / 37.8394383; -108.0053474[3]
Naming
Translation The Tooth (Spanish)
Geography
El Diente Peak

Colorado

Location Dolores County, Colorado, U.S.[3]
Parent range San Miguel Mountains[2]
Topo map USGS 7.5' topographic map
Dolores Peak, Colorado[3]
Climbing
Easiest route Difficult scramble class 3 on loose rock

El Diente Peak is a high summit in the San Miguel Mountains range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The 14,165-foot (4,317 m) peak is located in the Lizard Head Wilderness of San Juan National Forest, 10.5 miles (16.9 km) north by east (bearing 8°) of the Town of Rico in Dolores County, Colorado, United States. "El Diente" is Spanish for "The Tooth", a reference to the shape of the peak.[1][2][3]

Climbing

The topographic prominence of El Diente Peak is only 239 feet (73 m), so by a strict 300-foot (91 m) cutoff rule it would not be counted as a separate peak from its higher neighbor Mount Wilson. However the 3/4 mile (1.2 km) connecting ridge is a significant climbing challenge (Class 4/5), making El Diente more independent than its prominence would indicate.[4] Hence it is often regarded as a full-fledged fourteener.

El Diente is one of the more dramatic peaks in Colorado in terms of local relief and steepness. As a result, it is one of the most challenging climbs among Colorado's fourteeners. All routes involve at least class 3 scrambling on loose talus, and poor route-finding can expose the climber to more difficult and dangerous terrain.

Historical names

See also

References

  1. 1 2 The elevation of El Diente Peak includes an adjustment of +1.906 m (+6.25 ft) from NGVD 29 to NAVD 88.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "El Diente Peak, Colorado". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "El Diente Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved October 20, 2014.
  4. Dawson, Louis W., II (1994). Dawson's Guide to Colorado's Fourteeners. vol. 1. Blue Clover Press. ISBN 0-9628867-1-8.


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