Mosquito Range

Mosquito Range
Mount Lincoln
Highest point
Peak	Mount Lincoln
Elevation	14,286 ft (4,354 m)
Coordinates	39°21′05″N 106°06′39″W / 39.35139°N 106.11083°WCoordinates: 39°21′05″N 106°06′39″W / 39.35139°N 106.11083°W
Dimensions
Length	40 mi (64 km) NS
Geography
Country	United States
State	Colorado
Parent range	Rocky Mountains
Borders on	Sawatch Range
Geology
Orogeny	Laramide orogeny
Age of rock	Cretaceous – Paleogene
Type of rock	granite

The Mosquito Range (elevation approximately 14,000 ft) is a high mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado in the United States. The peaks of the range form a ridge running north-south for approximately 40 miles (64 km) from southern Summit County on the north end, then along the boundary between Lake and Park counties. The ranges forms a high barrier separating the headwaters of the Arkansas River near Leadville from South Park and the headwaters of the South Platte River near Fairplay. The highest peak in the range is Mount Lincoln at an elevation of 14,286 ft. Other fourteeners in the range are Mount Bross (14,172 ft), Mount Democrat (14,148 ft), and Mount Sherman (14,036 ft).

Geology

The mountains are faulted anticlines formed as part of the Sawatch Uplift during the Laramide orogeny approximately 65 MYA. The mountains were originally contiguous with the higher Sawatch Range to the west but were separated during the formation of the rift valley at the headwaters of the Arkansas River approximately 35 MYA. The range is primarily of granite. The eastern flank of the range along the rim of South Park overlain by Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks. The northern end of the range was glaciated during Pleistocene time, forming u-shaped valleys in the canyons.

The high ridge of the range forms a relatively difficult barrier between South Park and the Arkansas headwaters. Several of the high peaks of the range are prominently visible from the southern side of Fremont Pass along State Highway 91 between Climax and Leadville. The range is not traversed by any major highway, but only in two places by backroads over high passes: Mosquito Pass and Weston Pass. Much of the range is located within the Pike National Forest.

Tenmile and Mosquito Ranges: (left to right) Loveland Mountain (13,692 ft), Mount Democrat, Mount Bross & Quandary Peak. View from U.S. 285, about eight miles south of Fairplay.

Highest peaks

Weston Pass and the southern Mosquito Range, September 2009

The Eight Highest Peaks of the Mosquito Range ^[1]

Rank	Peak	Elevation
1	Mount Lincoln[2]	14,293 feet = 4356.5 m
2	Quandary Peak	14,265 feet = 4348.0 m
3	Mount Democrat	14,148 feet = 4312.3 m
4	Mount Sherman	14,036 feet = 4278.2 m
5	Fletcher Mountain PB	13,951 feet = 4252.3 m
5	Gemini Peak PB	13,951 feet = 4252.3 m
7	Pacific Peak PB	13,950 feet = 4252.0 m
8	Horseshoe Mountain PB	13,898 feet = 4236.1 m

See also

• Southern Rocky Mountains
  • Tenmile Range
• Mountain ranges of Colorado

References

1. This table includes only mountain peaks with a minimum of 100 meters (328 feet) of topographic prominence. Using this rule, Mount Bross is barely excluded.
2. Lipsher, Steve (2002-07-07). "No tall tale: State higher than thought". Denver Post. Retrieved 2007-06-21.

External links

• Mosquito Range @ Peakbagger
• Topographic map from USGS via Microsoft Research Maps