Fools Peak is a

summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for ...

in Eagle County, Colorado, United States.

Description

Fools Peak is located in the

Sawatch Range The Sawatch Range or Saguache RangeThe place name "Saguache” is pronounced “Sawatch” . This name derives from the Ute language noun "''sawup''" meaning "sand dunes" and is spelled using the Spanish language version of this name "Saguach ...

and is set in the

Holy Cross Wilderness The Holy Cross Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area located in San Isabel and White River national forests near Leadville, Minturn, Avon, Edwards, Eagle, and Vail. The wilderness with of trails was established in 1980. The wilderness was ...

, on land managed by

White River National Forest White River National Forest is a National Forest in northwest Colorado. It is named after the White River that passes through its northern section. It is the most visited National Forest in the United States, primarily from users of the twel ...

. Precipitation runoff from the mountain's south slope drains into Lime Creek which is a tributary of the

Fryingpan River The Fryingpan River is a tributary of the Roaring Fork River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed March 18, 2011 in Eagle and Pitkin counties in Color ...

, whereas the north slope drains into East Brush Creek → Brush Creek → Eagle River.

Topographic relief Terrain (), alternatively relief or topographical relief, is the dimension and shape of a given surface of land. In physical geography, terrain is the lay of the land. This is usually expressed in terms of the elevation, slope, and orientati ...

is significant as the summit rises above Mystic Island Lake in one-half mile (0.8 km) and above Lime Creek in 1.1 mile (1.8 km). An ascent of the summit involves hiking 6.5 miles (one way) and 4,340 feet of total elevation gain. The North Ridge is considered one of the best ridge scrambles in Colorado. The mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the

United States Board on Geographic Names The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a Federal government of the United States, federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geogr ...

, and has been reported in publications since at least 1923.Roger Wolcott Toll, ''The Mountain Peaks of Colorado''
Colorado Mountain Club, 1923, p. 27.

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, Fools Peak is located in 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 ...

zone 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. Climbers can expect afternoon rain, hail, and lightning from the seasonal monsoon in late July and August.

References

External links

* Fools Peak
weather forecast
{{Mountains of Colorado Mountains of Eagle County, Colorado Three-thousanders of the United States White River National Forest

Description

Climate

See also

References

External links