Ajax Peak is a mountain summit located in
San Miguel County of southwest
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
, United States.
It is situated on land managed by
Uncompahgre National Forest, and is the iconic landmark visible three miles east of the community of
Telluride. Ajax is set immediately south of Savage Basin and the ghost town of
Tomboy, one mile southwest of
Chicago Peak, and one mile west of Telluride Peak. It is also immediately northeast of
Bridal Veil Falls, Colorado's highest waterfall at 365-feet high. It is part of the
San Juan Mountains
The San Juan Mountains is a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico. The area is highly mineralized (the Colorado Mineral Belt) and figured in the gold and silver mining industry ...
which are a subset of the
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...
.
Topographic relief is significant as the west aspect rises above the box canyon in approximately one mile. The old
mill
Mill may refer to:
Science and technology
* Factory
* Mill (grinding)
* Milling (machining)
* Millwork
* Paper mill
* Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel
* Sugarcane mill
* Textile mill
* List of types of mill
* Mill, the arithmetic ...
town of
Pandora
In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first human woman created by Hephaestus on the instructions of Zeus. As Hesiod related it, each god cooperated by giving her unique gifts. Her other name—inscribed against her figure on a white-ground '' ky ...
at the base of Ajax Peak was hit by
snow slides each winter, and one particularly bad event in 1884 came over the Ajax Mine and wrecked the mills.
[ Caroline Bancroft, ''Unique Ghost Towns and Mountain Spots'', 1961, Johnson Publishing Company, , page 92.]
Climate
According to the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Ajax Peak has an alpine
subarctic climate
The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...
with cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers.
Due to its altitude, it receives precipitation all year, as snow in winter, and as thunderstorms in summer, with a dry period in late spring. Precipitation
runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries and headwaters of the
San Miguel River.
Gallery
File:Ajax Peak refection.jpg, Ajax Peak's west aspect (centered) in late winter
File:Telluride's main street.jpg, Ajax Peak from Telluride's Colorado Avenue
File:Massive (15451359446).jpg, Detail of lower southwest cliffs of Ajax Peak
File:Ajax Peak, San Miguel River.jpg, Ajax with San Miguel River
File:San Miguel River, Ajax Peak.jpg, Ajax left of center, with San Miguel River
File:Peaks over Telluride (5868861382).jpg
See also
*
References
External links
* Ajax Peak trail
US Forest Service* Weather forecast
Ajax Peak* Ajax summit view
YouTube{{Mountains of Colorado
Mountains of San Miguel County, Colorado
San Juan Mountains (Colorado)
Three-thousanders of the United States
Uncompahgre National Forest