Mount Lincoln (Colorado)

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Mount Lincoln

Elevation	14,286 ft (4,354 m)
Location	Colorado, United States
Range	Rocky Mountains, Mosquito Range
Prominence	3,866 ft (1,178 m)
Coordinates	39°21′05″N, 106°06′39″W
Topo map	USGS Alma (CO)
Easiest route	hike

Mount Lincoln is a fourteener in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is the eighth highest peak in the state, and the 11th highest in the contiguous United States. It is located in the Mosquito Range, just west of Hoosier Pass, and is the highest peak in that range. It lies just east of the Continental Divide in northwestern Park County, approximately 5 miles (8 km) east of Climax and near the town of Alma.

[edit] Nearby peaks

The peak forms a twin summit with Mount Cameron (14,238 ft/4340 m), located about 1/2 mile (1 km) to the southwest. Cameron is not usually considered a separate fourteener, since its prominence is at most 158 feet, much lower than the standard 300 foot (91 m) cutoff. (Some older sources did consider Cameron to be independent^[1]). Other nearby peaks which are considered separate peaks, and hence official fourteeners, are Mount Bross (borderline independent: prominence between 292 and 332 feet) and Mount Democrat (prominence 768 feet).

[edit] Access issues

Mount Lincoln, along with its neighbors Cameron, Democrat and Bross, are pockmarked with old mines, and much of the land is owned privately by mining companies. (A large mine still operates in nearby Climax.) In the summer of 2005, these landowners denied access to the peaks by hikers and climbers, fearing liability in the case of injury, and citing the particular dangers due to the presence of old mine workings. On August 1, 2006, the town of Alma signed a deal to lease the peaks for a nominal fee, to reduce the potential liability to the owners and free up the peaks for recreational access.^[2]

[edit] Gallery

USGS Marker at the summit of Mount Lincoln (Colorado).

[edit] References

^ Louis W. Dawson II, Dawson's Guide to Colorado's Fourteeners, Volume 1, Blue Clover Press, 1994, ISBN 0-9628867-1-8
^ Yahoo News: AP story on re-opening of peaks