MOUNTAIN RANGES Front Range Park Range San Juan-Most rugged in the contiguous US Sangre de Cristo-”Blood of Christ” Sawatch
Mar 27, 2015
MOUNTAIN RANGES
Front Range Park Range San Juan-Most rugged in the contiguous US Sangre de Cristo-”Blood of Christ” Sawatch
Sangre de Christo
San Juans
Front Range
Sawatch
Park Range MOUNTAIN
RANGES
Front Range
A mountain range of the Rocky Mountains that is located in the north-central portion of Colorado.
The Front Range is so named because, moving west along the 40th parallel north across the Great Plains of North America, it is the first mountain range encountered.
The name "Front Range" is also applied to the Front Range Urban Corridor, the populated region of Colorado and Wyoming just east of the mountain range and extending from Pueblo north to Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Park Range
A mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of northwestern Colorado.
The range forms a relatively isolated part of the continental divide, extending north-to-south for approximately 40 miles along the boundary between Jackson (east) and Routt counties.
San Juan
A rugged mountain range in southwestern Colorado. The area is highly mineralized (the Colorado Mineral
Belt) and figured in the gold and silver mining industry of early Colorado.
Sangre de Christo
Spanish for "Blood of Christ" the southernmost sub range of the Rocky Mountains located in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado The name is said to come from the red color of the range
at some sunrises and sunsets, especially when the mountains are covered with snow, alpenglow.
Sawatch
In central Colorado Includes eight of the twenty highest peaks in the Rocky Mountains Includes Mount Elbert, at 14,440 feet elevation, the highest peak in
the Rockies.
RIVERS Colorado Arkansas Platte Rio Grande Gunnison
More rivers begin in Colorado than in any other state
Arkansas River
Platte River
Colorado River
Rio Grande River
Gunnison River
RIVERS
Colorado River
a river in the southwestern United States approximately 1,450 mi long draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of
the Rocky Mountains. The natural course of the river flows into the Gulf of
California
Arkansas River A major tributary of the
Mississippi River. traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and
Arkansas At 1,469 miles (2,364 km) it is the sixth longest river in the
United States, the second-longest tributary in the Mississippi-Missouri system
Its origin is in the Rocky Mountains in Lake County, Colorado, near Leadville, and its outlet is at Napoleon, Arkansas.
Platte River
Rio Grande
Known as the Rio Grande in the United States and as the Río Bravo in Mexico,
1,885 miles long the fourth longest river system in the United States serves as a natural boundary along the border
between the U.S. and Mexico
Gunnison
A tributary of the Colorado River approximately 180 mi long the fifth largest tributary of the Colorado River
MOUNTAIN PARKS
Were at one time lakes Elevation between 7,000 and 8,000 feet; too high
for tended agriculture so people make a living with grazing
All are centrally located
MOUNTAIN PARKS
North Park-Walden Middle Park-Granby, Kremling and Frazier South Park-Fairplay San Luis Valley-Alamosa and Monte Vista; has
some tended agriculture
San Luis Valley
North Park
Middle Park
South Park
MOUNTAIN PARKS
San Luis Valley
South Park
Continental Divide
GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES
Colorado Piedmont
Colorado Piedmont the geologic term for an area along the base of the
foothills of the Front Range in north central Colorado. The region consists of a broad hilly valley, just under
5000 ft in elevation, stretching north and northeast from Denver, as well as southward from Colorado Springs.
The region includes much of the populated and cultivated area of Colorado.
Continental Divide The largely mountainous,
hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from: 1) those river systems which
drain into the Atlantic Ocean 2) along the northernmost
reaches of the Divide, those river systems which drain into the Arctic Ocean
COLORADO GEOGRAPHY
The state divides itself into three parts:
1 - Eastern Plains
2 - Mountains
3 - Western Slope
EASTERN PLAINS
An extension of the Great Plains Gradual incline from the Eastern border Comes to an imaginary line where the cities of
Fort Collins, Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo are located
Not much rainfall; windy spring, dust storms, heat and summer drought
Called “The Great American Desert” by early visitors who were used to the green of the Eastern United States
Native grasses grown here-good for grazing Native animals would be buffalo and antelope Colorado Piedmont-Center of population,
education and industry
MOUNTAINS 54 mountains are over 14,000 feet 79% of the 14ers in the contiguous US are in
Colorado Called the “crest of the continent” Continental Divide is a ridge of mountains that
divide the water flow from east to west; East to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico and west to the Pacific Ocean
Some of Colorado’s 14’ers
Pikes Peak
Mt Evans
Longs Peak
CONTINENTAL DIVIDE TRAILCONTINENTAL DIVIDE
MOUNTAINS The continental divide is called “the backbone of the
Rockies” Rockies reach their highest and widest points in Colorado
(in the contiguous US) Most impressive canyon is the Royal Gorge in Canyon
City. At one point it is 30 feet wide and has a drop of 1200 feet
Trappers first drawn here by beavers Other animals include grizzlies, black and brown bear,
mule deer, big horn sheep and mountain lions
Royal Gorge
Beaver
Mountain Lion
Mule Deer
Big Horn Sheep
Grizzly
Black Bear
WESTERN SLOPE Contains some mountain towns-Ouray, Silverton,
Telluride and Aspen Last area to be settled in Colorado Far west is semi-arid and at times almost desert-
like Unique geographic features are mesas and plateaus Largest mesa is Grand Mesa Part of Colorado Plateau
Colorado National Monument
near Grand Junction
Mesa Verde is located in the southwestern portion of this area
Black Canyon of the Gunnison is located here (near Montrose). Walls extend to 2425 ft. This was recently made into a national park
Northwest Colorado was the last to be settled Four Corners located here-Colo., NM, Arizona and
Utah
Black Canyon
of the
Gunnison
Black Canyon of the Gunnison
4 Corners