Elk Mountain is a summit in

Routt County, Colorado Routt County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,829. The county seat is Steamboat Springs. Routt County comprises the Steamboat Springs, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area. History P ...

. The mountain lies to the northwest of Steamboat Springs and is easily seen from the city, especially from along Lincoln Avenue ( U.S. Route 40), Steamboat's main street. The mountain is also easily seen from

Mount Werner Mount Werner is a mountain summit in the Park Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The peak is located in Routt National Forest, east-southeast ( bearing 107°) of the City of Steamboat Springs in Routt County, Colorado, United ...

, the home of the

Steamboat Ski Resort Steamboat Resort is a major ski area in the western United States, located in northwestern Colorado at Steamboat Springs. Operated by the Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation, it is located on Mount Werner, a mountain in the Park Range in the R ...

. The Elk River flows near the mountain just before its confluence with the

Yampa River The Yampa River flows through northwestern Colorado in the United States. Rising in the Rocky Mountains, it is a tributary of the Green River and a major part of the Colorado River system. The Yampa is one of the few free-flowing rivers in the ...

in the Yampa Valley.

Legends and names

Locals refer to the mountain as "The Sleeping Giant," due to its resemblance to the profile of a prone person at sleep when viewed from Mount Werner or Steamboat Springs, and have created legends to explain this appearance. summitpost.or
The Sleeping Giant (Elk Mountain)
Viewed October 2, 2017. There are at least six other summits also named Elk Mountain in Colorado. This Elk Mountain in Routt County is not part of the Elk Mountains in West Central Colorado. Instead, it is one of the easternmost peaks in the

Elkhead Mountains The Elkhead Mountains are a mountain range in Colorado. The mountain range is considered to be low altitude within Colorado as all of the peaks are under . Located within Routt and Moffat counties, the Elkhead Mountains are far from metropolitan a ...

References

Landforms of Routt County, Colorado Mountains of Colorado North American 2000 m summits {{Colorado-geo-stub