The Park Range, elevation approximately , is a

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

in 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 straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

of northwestern

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The range forms a relatively isolated part of 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 ...

, extending north-to-south for approximately along the boundary between

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

(east) and Routt counties. It separates North Park in the upper basin of the

North Platte River The North Platte River is a major tributary of the Platte River and is approximately long, counting its many curves.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed March 21, 2011 In a ...

on the east from the Elk River basin in the watershed of the

Yampa River The Yampa River flows through northwestern Colorado in the United States. Rising in the Rocky Mountains, it is a tributary of the Green River (Colorado River), Green River and a major part of the Colorado River system. The Yampa is one of the f ...

the west. It rises steeply out of the Yampa River basin, forming a climatic barrier that receives much

snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...

fall in winter. The northern end of the range lies in Wyoming and is known as the Sierra Madre Range. Steamboat Springs, a popular

ski A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partial ...

resort community, sits on the southwestern flank of the range, at the base of

Mount Werner Mount Werner is a mountain summit in the Park Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The peak is located in Routt National Forest, east-southeast ( bearing 107°) of the City of Steamboat Springs in Routt County, Colorado, United St ...

. Much of the range is located within the

Routt National Forest Routt may refer to: ;Places In the United States: * Routt, Louisville, Kentucky *Routt County, Colorado ;People *Joe Routt *John Long Routt *Stanford Routt Stanford Bermond Routt (born July 26, 1983) is a former American football cornerback. Aft ...

, with the summit of the ridge located within the

Mount Zirkel Wilderness The Mount Zirkel Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area located in Routt National Forest in northwest Colorado. The closest city is Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The wilderness is named after Mount Zirkel, the highest peak in the range at , which ...

, named for

Mount Zirkel Mount Zirkel is the highest summit of the Park Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The prominent peak is located in the Mount Zirkel Wilderness of Routt National Forest, north-northeast ( bearing 19°) of the City of Steamboat S ...

, elevation . The range is prominently visible from both sides and forms a picturesque skyline from much of North Park. It is traversed at its southern end by

Rabbit Ears Pass Rabbit Ears Pass (el. 9426 ft, 2873 m) is a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado in the United States, where US highway 40 crosses the Continental Divide. North of the summit is Rabbit Ears Peak which has the sh ...

which carries US 40. It is also traversed by Buffalo Pass which carries a gravel road between Steamboat Springs and Walden, and which is traversable by most vehicles in good weather during summer.

References

External links

Park Range @ fs.usda

Park Range @ Peakbagger

Park Range @ summitpost

Park Range @ 100summits
Ranges of the Rocky Mountains Mountain ranges of Colorado Landforms of Routt County, Colorado Landforms of Jackson County, Colorado {{Colorado-geo-stub

See also

References

External links