Torreys Peak is a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

in the

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region 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 ...

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 ...

. It is one of 53 fourteeners in Colorado. Its nearest major city is

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

. Torreys Peak is located along the Continental Divide, as well as the division between Clear Creek County and Summit County. In the

Arapaho The Arapaho ( ; , ) are a Native American people historically living on the plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Lakota and Dakota. By the 1850s, Arapaho bands formed t ...

language Torrey's Peak and the adjacent Gray's Peak are named, ''Heeniiyoowuu'' or "Ant Hills".

Name

The first European to ascend Torreys Peak, botanist Charles C. Parry, named the peak for his botanist colleague

John Torrey John Torrey (August 15, 1796 – March 10, 1873) was an American botany, botanist, chemist, and physician. Throughout much of his career, he was a teacher of chemistry, often at multiple universities, while he also pursued botanical work, focus ...

. Torrey actually did not see the peak until 1872, 11 years later (the year before his death at the age 76). It is nearly always mentioned in conjunction with nearby Grays Peak.

Hiking

There are three main trails used to reach the summit. The first is actually a continuation of Grays Peak Trail to the summit of Grays Peak, which starts in Stevens Gulch. See the Grays Peak article for more information on accessing that trail. A popular and challenging variation of this trail follows class-3 Kelso Ridge. This route splits from the Grays Peak trail from the trailhead, climbs to the saddle between Torreys and Kelso Mountain, then follows the rugged ridge about to the summit. The third trail starts at Loveland Pass about to the northwest. To reach Loveland Pass, follow I-70 west from Denver to where US Route 6 breaks off and heads south. Follow the meandering Route 6 approximately seven miles to the trailhead at Loveland Pass, at an elevation of . The steepest part of the trail actually begins right away with a half mile climb of . The trail follows the Continental Divide gently taking the climber down into three saddles and up two more peaks, including Grizzly Peak at and Mount Sniktau at . The final saddle rests at approximately 12,600 ft. From this saddle, it is a mile-long ascent of to the final summit. Once at the summit, many opt to continue on to Grays Peak, away. The trail from Torreys Peak to Grays Peak dips down to a saddle and then climbs back up to .

References

External links

Torreys Peaks on 14ers.comTorreys Peak Hiking Guide on BackpackerTorreys Peak on ListsofJohnTorreys Peak on PeakeryGrays and Torreys Peaks on TrailCentral.comGPS Trail Map Using Google Maps
{{Authority control Mountains of Clear Creek County, Colorado Mountains of Summit County, Colorado Fourteeners of Colorado Four-thousanders of the United States Great Divide of North America

Name

Hiking

See also

References

External links