Wilson Peak is a mountain peak in the 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 ...

. It is located in the

Lizard Head Wilderness The Lizard Head Wilderness is a wilderness area in southwest Colorado. It contains and is jointly managed by the Uncompahgre and San Juan National Forests. It is southwest of the town of Telluride and is named for a prominent rock formation t ...

of the

Uncompahgre National Forest Uncompahgre National Forest is a U.S. National Forest covering 955,229 acres (1,492.55 sq mi, or 3,865.68 km2) in (in descending order of land area) parts of Montrose, Mesa, San Miguel, Ouray, Gunnison, Hinsdale, San Juan, and Delta ...

, in the northwestern San Juan Mountains. It is the highest point in San Miguel County. The mountain was named for

A.D. Wilson Allen David "A.D." Wilson (September 17, 1844 – February 21, 1920) was an American cartographer. Biography He was born in Sparta, Illinois. He left school and in March 1867, enlisted with the California Geological Survey, Geological Survey of C ...

, the chief topographer with the

Hayden Survey Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden (September 7, 1829 – December 22, 1887) was an American geologist noted for his pioneering surveying expeditions of the Rocky Mountains in the late 19th century. He was also a physician who served with the Union Ar ...

. Nearby Mount Wilson also honors him. The original indigenous name for the mountain was Shandoka, which translates to "Storm Maker", a reference to the peak's effect on local weather patterns.

Geography

Wilson Peak is in the western part of the San Juan Mountains. The western San Juans are also known as the

San Miguel Mountains The San Juan Mountains is a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico. The area is highly mineralized (the Colorado Mineral Belt) and figured in the gold and silver mining industry ...

or the Wilson Massif. Two additional fourteen thousand foot peaks are within of its summit: Mount Wilson () and

El Diente Peak El Diente Peak is a high summit in the San Miguel Mountains range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The peak is located in the Lizard Head Wilderness of San Juan National Forest, north by east ( bearing 8°) of the Town of Rico in D ...

().

Gladstone Peak Gladstone Peak is a high mountain summit in the San Miguel Mountains range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The thirteener is located in the Lizard Head Wilderness, southwest by west ( bearing 234°) of the Town of Telluride, Color ...

() is located on the ridge between Wilson Peak and Mount Wilson.

Recreation

Wilson Peak is climbed by hundreds each year, primarily in summer months, but winter ascents are not unusual and sometimes serve as the beginning of

backcountry skiing Backcountry skiing ( US), also called off-piste (Europe), alpine touring, or out-of-area, is skiing in the backcountry on unmarked or unpatrolled areas either inside or outside a ski resort's boundaries. This contrasts with alpine skiing, which i ...

descents. Summer ascents of the peak are considered Class 3 technical climbs, meaning that scrambling over rock is required (with hand holds being used for balance) and ropes typically not employed. The easiest route begins at the Rock of Ages Trailhead (elevation ) located west of Telluride, Colorado. Forest Trail 429 climbs southeast through Silver Pick Basin to the Rock of Ages Saddle (between Silver Pick and Navajo Basins) at . Forest Trail 408 is then followed east to on the saddle between Gladstone and Wilson Peaks before the ridge is climbed northeast to the summit. Round trip distance is .

In popular culture

The stately and classically mountainous profile of Wilson Peak as viewed from the East and North has led to its use as a symbol of rugged mountains in advertising. Wilson Peak features prominently in many television advertisements for Coors Brewing Company which is located in Golden, Colorado. The

Jeep Jeep is an American automobile marque, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with remaining assets, from its previous owner American Moto ...

automobile corporation also often uses Wilson Peak as a backdrop in its television commercials, particularly in advertisements for its off-road models. Because of its proximity to Telluride, Colorado, many local companies and festivals use images of Wilson Peak in the advertising to convey the beauty and mountainous nature of the area. Wilson Peak is featured prominently in

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, Black comedy, dark humor, Nonlinear narrative, non-lin ...

's movie '' The Hateful Eight''.

References

External links

*
Traditional Route, with discussion of private land restrictionsWilson Peak on Distantpeak.comA gallery of photographs of Wilson PeakTopographic mapAccess and Preservation Project for Wilson Peak
{{Colorado San Juan Mountains (Colorado) Mountains of San Miguel County, Colorado Fourteeners of Colorado Uncompahgre National Forest

Geography

Recreation

In popular culture

See also

References

External links