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Mount Bethel (Colorado)

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Coordinates: 39°42′36″N 105°52′43″W / 39.7099144°N 105.8785694°W / 39.7099144; -105.8785694
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mount Bethel
East aspect
Highest point
Elevation12,705 ft (3,872 m)[1][2]
Prominence425 ft (130 m)[1]
Parent peakPettingell Peak (13,559 ft)[2][3]
Isolation1.24 mi (2.00 km)[1]
Coordinates39°42′36″N 105°52′43″W / 39.7099144°N 105.8785694°W / 39.7099144; -105.8785694[4]
Naming
EtymologyEllsworth Bethel
Geography
Mount Bethel is located in Colorado
Mount Bethel
Mount Bethel
Location in Colorado
Mount Bethel is located in the United States
Mount Bethel
Mount Bethel
Mount Bethel (the United States)
CountryUnited States
StateColorado
CountyClear Creek County
Parent rangeRocky Mountains
Front Range
Topo mapUSGS Loveland Pass
Climbing
Easiest routeHiking class 2[2]

Mount Bethel is a 12,705-foot (3,872 m) mountain summit in Clear Creek County, Colorado, United States.

Description

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Mount Bethel is set two miles (3.2 km) east of the Continental Divide in the Front Range which is a subrange of the Rocky Mountains.[1] It is an iconic landmark viewed from westbound Interstate 70 as travelers approach the Eisenhower Tunnel. The mountain is located 50 miles (80 km) west of Denver on land managed by Arapaho National Forest. Precipitation runoff from the mountain's slopes drains into headwaters of Clear Creek which is a tributary of the South Platte River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 2,300 feet (701 m) above the creek and Interstate 70 in one mile (1.6 km). Snow fences are a distinguishing feature on the mountain's slopes which are there to mitigate avalanches from threatening the Interstate. An ascent of the peak involves hiking four miles (6.4 km) with 2,680 feet (817 m) of elevation gain.[5]

Etymology

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The mountain was originally called "Little Professor", in association with "Big Professor" which was the original name for Mount Sniktau on the opposite side of Clear Creek. The mountain's toponym was officially adopted in 1926 by the United States Board on Geographic Names to remember Ellsworth Bethel (1863–1925), American botanist.[4] Bethel worked for the National Forest Service as a forest pathologist; he was a biology teacher at East Denver High School in Denver; and he named many of the peaks in Colorado's Indian Peaks Wilderness.

Climate

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According to the Köppen climate classification system, Mount Bethel is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers.[6] 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. This climate supports the Loveland Ski Area two miles south of the peak.

See also

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  • South aspect of Mount Bethel showing snow fences high on its slope
    South aspect of Mount Bethel showing snow fences high on its slope
  • Mt. Bethel, with parent Pettingell Peak to right
    Mt. Bethel, with parent Pettingell Peak to right
  • Mount Bethel
    Mount Bethel

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Mount Bethel, Colorado". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Bethel, Mount - 12,705' CO". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  3. ^ "Mount Bethel, Peakvisor.com". Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Mount Bethel". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  5. ^ James Dziezynski (2016), Best Summit Hikes Denver to Vail, Wilderness Press, ISBN 9780899978123, p. 74
  6. ^ Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11. ISSN 1027-5606.
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