The Tenmile Range 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 U.S. state of
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 ...
. The range is an extension of the
Mosquito Range
The Mosquito Range (elevation approximately 14,000 ft) is a high mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado in the United States. The peaks of the range form a ridge running north–south for roughly 40 mi (64 km) fr ...
which is part of 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 ...
. The two ranges are effectively the same range. They are split only by 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 name. The Tenmile Range is on the north side of the divide, and the Mosquito on the south. The range is often referred to as the Tenmile-Mosquito Range.
There are more than a dozen peaks in the range. Peak 1 is the northernmost peak. The sub-peaks of Mt. Victoria and Mt. Royal are located north of Peak 1. Tenmile Peak, south of Peak 1, is also known as Peak 2. Quandary Peak is the southernmost peak and highest point in the Range, elevation 14,271 feet.
The range is famous for its skiing, both
backcountry
In the United States, a backcountry or backwater is a geographical area that is remote, undeveloped, isolated, or difficult to access.
Terminology Backcountry and wilderness within United States national parks
The National Park Service (NPS) ...
and resort areas.
Breckenridge Ski Resort
Breckenridge Ski Resort is an alpine ski resort in the western United States, in Breckenridge, Colorado. Just west of the Continental Divide in Summit County, it is perennially one of the most visited ski resorts in the western hemisphere. Breck ...
is in the range.
The Tenmile Range includes
Pacific Tarn
Pacific Tarn is a small lake located in the Colorado Rocky Mountains in the United States. It is notable for its 13,420 foot (4,090 m) elevation, making it the highest lake in the United States whose name is recognized by the United States Bo ...
, believed to be the highest
named lake in the United States.
Approximately of the Tenmile Range is protected in the
Camp Hale – Continental Divide National Monument
Camp Hale was a U.S. Army training facility in the western 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 con ...
.
Highest peaks
*
Quandary Peak
Quandary Peak is the highest summit of the Tenmile Range in the Rocky Mountains of North America and is the most commonly climbed fourteener in Colorado. It has nearly the same elevation as Castle Peak and Mount Evans. It lies in Summit County ...
14,271
*
Fletcher Mountain 13,951
*
Pacific Peak
Pacific Peak, elevation , is a summit in the Mosquito Range of central Colorado. The peak is southwest of Breckenridge in the Arapaho National Forest. Its long east ridge is prominently visible across the valley to the north when hiking Quandary ...
*Unnamed Peak (commonly known as "Drift Peak"
[) 13,900
* Crystal Peak 13,852
*Atlantic Peak 13,841
* Wheeler Mountain 13,690
* Peak 10 13,633
*]Father Dyer Peak
Dyer Mountain is a high mountain summit in the Mosquito Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The thirteener is located east ( bearing 95°) of the City of Leadville, Colorado, United States, on the drainage divide separating La ...
13,615, named for the clergy
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
man John Lewis Dyer
John Lewis Dyer (1812-1901), "The Snowshoe Itinerant," was a circuit rider, that is, a preacher who rode from one church to the next. He was a Methodist.
Biography
Dyer was born in Franklin County, Ohio, spending most his early years in Illino ...
* North Star Mountain 13,614
Additional information
*Peak 1 is the northernmost peak of the range.
*The numbered peaks begin with Peak 1 which is directly north of Tenmile Peak. This peak used to have a ski jumping hill for the town of Frisco. South of Peak 1 are Peaks 2 through 10. There are more than a dozen peaks in the range. The southernmost is Quandary Peak.[ Wheeler Peak and North Star Mountain sit in both the Ten Mile (north) and Mosquito Ranges (south), straddling the Continental Divide.
*]Breckenridge Ski Resort
Breckenridge Ski Resort is an alpine ski resort in the western United States, in Breckenridge, Colorado. Just west of the Continental Divide in Summit County, it is perennially one of the most visited ski resorts in the western hemisphere. Breck ...
occupies the east faces of Peaks 6-10. The summits of Peak 6 and Peak 8 are both accessible by chairlift. The Kensho SuperChair on Peak 6 terminates at a crest in a ridge 300 feet below the summit, while the Imperial Express SuperChair stops at 12,840 feet, 160 feet below the summit of Peak 8. The true summits of both peaks can then be accessed by a short hike from the top of either lift.
File:Peak I.jpg, Peak 1 seen from Silverthorne
File:Peaks 7 and 8.JPG, The eastern side of Peaks 7 and 8 as viewed from the bottom of the Independence SuperChair
File:Bottom of Kensho SuperChair sunny day.JPG, The Kensho SuperChair provides lift access to the summit of Peak 6
File:Ten Mile Range from Copper Mountain.JPG, A view of Peak 4, Peak 5, and Peak 6 from near the top of the Timberline Express at Copper Mountain
File:View_North_from_top_of_Kensho_SuperChair.JPG, A view of Peak 5 from the top of the Kensho SuperChair on Peak 6
Gallery
See also
*Mountain ranges of Colorado
This is a list of the major mountain ranges in the U.S. State of Colorado. All of these ranges are considered subranges of the Southern Rocky Mountains.
As given in the table, topographic elevation is the vertical distance above the reference ...
References
External links
Tenmile Range @ Peakbagger
{{Colorado
Mountain ranges of Colorado
Ranges of the Rocky Mountains
Landforms of Summit County, Colorado