Mount Nimbus is a mountain
summit
A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topography, topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous.
The term (mountain top) is generally used ...
in
Grand County,
Colorado, United States.
Description
Mount Nimbus is set along the
Continental Divide
A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not ...
and is the fifth-highest peak of the
Never Summer Mountains which are a subrange of the
Rocky Mountains.
The mountain is situated on the western boundary of
Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park is an American national park located approximately northwest of Denver in north-central Colorado, within the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The park is situated between the towns of Estes Park to the east and ...
and is visible from
Trail Ridge Road within the park. The west side of the peak is in the
Never Summer Wilderness
The Never Summer Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area located immediately west of Rocky Mountain National Park in the Never Summer Mountains of Arapaho National Forest in northern Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mou ...
, on land managed by
Arapaho National Forest. Precipitation
runoff from the mountain's lower northwest slope drains into headwaters of the South Fork
Michigan River
The Michigan River is a tributary of the North Platte River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed March 21, 2011 in north central Colorado in the United S ...
and all other slopes drain into tributaries of the
Colorado River except a portion which is diverted by the
Grand Ditch.
Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises above the
Kawuneeche Valley
Kawuneeche Valley, also known as Kawuneeche or Coyote Valley, is a marshy valley of the Colorado River near its beginning. It is located on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. The axis of the valley runs almost directly no ...
in and above Baker Gulch in one-half mile.
Etymology
The mountain's toponym was applied in 1914 by
James Grafton Rogers
James Grafton Rogers (January 13, 1883 - April 23, 1971) was the Assistant Secretary of State for the United States.
Biography
Rogers was born on January 13, 1883 in Denver, Colorado to Edmund James Armstrong Rogers (1852-1922) and Maria Georgina ...
, and was officially adopted in 1932 by the
United States Board on Geographic Names
The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the federal governm ...
.
Rogers also named
Mount Cirrus
Mount Cirrus is a mountain summit in Colorado, United States.
Description
Mount Cirrus is situated on the Continental Divide along the boundary shared by Grand County and Jackson County. It is the third-highest peak of the Never Summer Moun ...
and
Mount Cumulus
Mount Cumulus is a mountain summit in Colorado, United States.
Description
Mount Cumulus is situated on the Continental Divide along the boundary shared by Grand County and Jackson County. It is the fourth-highest peak of the Never Summer M ...
, with the three names referring to different types of common
clouds
In meteorology, a cloud is an aerosol consisting of a visible mass of miniature liquid droplets, frozen crystals, or other particles suspended in the atmosphere of a planetary body or similar space. Water or various other chemicals may com ...
. As President of the Colorado Geographic Society, Chairman of the Colorado Geographic Board, and President of the American Alpine Club, Rogers participated in naming many of Colorado's mountains.
Stephen H. Hart (1972), ''James Grafton Rogers, 1883–1971'', Americanalpineclub.org
/ref> He also drafted legislation to create Rocky Mountain National Park.
Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Mount Nimbus is located in an alpine subarctic climate
The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a 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 an ocean, ge ...
zone with cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers.
See also
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*
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References
External links
* Weather forecast
Mount Nimbus
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nimbus, Mount
Mountains of Grand County, Colorado
Mountains of Rocky Mountain National Park
Mountains of Colorado
North American 3000 m summits
Arapaho National Forest
Great Divide of North America