Long Branch Baldy is a mountain in the Cochetopa Hills of the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. The 11,980-foot (3,652 m) mountain is located in Saguache County, Colorado and on the Continental Divide, which here forms the border between Gunnison National Forest and Rio Grande National Forest.[1][2]
| Long Branch Baldy | |
|---|---|
 Long Branch Baldy viewed from the southeast. | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 11,980 ft (3,650 m)[1] |
| Prominence | 1,471 ft (448 m)[1] |
| Isolation | 13.87 mi (22.32 km)[1] |
| Coordinates | 38°19′20″N 106°28′26″W / 38.3221025°N 106.4738221°W[2] |
| Geography | |
  Long Branch Baldy | |
| Location | Saguache County, Colorado, US[2] |
| Parent range | Cochetopa Hills, San Juan Mountains, Rocky Mountains |
| Topo map | USGS 7.5' topographic map Sargents Mesa[2] |
Geology
editLong Branch Baldy is located within the San Juan volcanic field and the region is dominated by Tertiary volcanic rocks, including lavas, ash flow tuffs, and breccias. The mountain itself is composed of andesite of the Conejos Formation, deposited by andesitic stratovolcanoes 33 to 29 million years ago. Small scabs of dacite from the Bonanza eruptions (33 million years ago) are present near the summit and on the northern slope of the mountain.[3][4]
Long Branch Baldy was glaciated, and glacial cirques are located on the northeast and east sides of the mountain where tarns and glacial deposits are found.[4]
Climate
editLong Branch Baldy's climate is classified as a subarctic climate (Dfc) in the Köppen system, with cold, snowy winters and cool summers. It receives precipitation as snow in winter and as thunderstorms in summer, with June typically being a drier month.[5][6][7]
Hiking
editHiking to the summit of Long Branch Baldy is typically done during the summer and early fall when snow is free of the roads used to reach the trailheads. A common route to the summit starts at the Long Branch Trailhead located at the end of Forest Road 780, 4.6 miles (7.4 km) south of the town of Sargents. A hike along the Baldy Lake Trail (Forest Trail 491) leads to the Continental Divide Trail (CDT). From there, a short hike west along the CDT to the mountain's south ridge allows for an off-trail, class 2 ridge hike leading north to the summit. This 7.2-mile (11.6 km) route (one-way) has an elevation gain of 3,400 feet (1,036 m).[8]
Long Branch Baldy can also be reached from four-wheel-drive roads and trails to the west, south, and east. The shortest of these hikes begins at the Razor Creek Trailhead. From here the CDT can be followed northeast to the southwest ridge of the mountain, which can then be hiked to the summit. This 4.4-mile (7.1 km) route (one-way) has an elevation gain of 1,600 feet (488 m).[8]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Long Branch Baldy CO". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Long Branch Baldy". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ^ Cappa, J.A.; Wallace, C.A. (1999). Geology and Mineral Resources of Saguache County, Colorado. Resource Series RS-44. Denver, Colorado: Colorado Geological Survey.
- ^ a b Lipman, Peter W. (2012). Geologic Map of the Cochetopa Park and North Pass Calderas, Northeastern San Juan Mountains, Colorado. Scientific Investigations Map 3123. United States Geological Survey.
- ^ Doesken, Nolan J.; Pielke, Sr., Roger A.; Bliss, Odilia A. P. (2003). "Climate of Colorado". Fort Collins, Colorado: Colorado Climate Center. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ Beck, H.E.; et al. (2023). "High-resolution (1 km) Köppen-Geiger maps for 1901–2099 based on constrained CMIP6 projections". Scientific Data. 10 (724). doi:10.1038/s41597-023-02549-6. PMC 10593765. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ "Climate zones on the move: Historical and predicted future changes in the global distribution of Köppen-Geiger climate zones". Canberra, Australia: Haizea Analytics. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
- ^ a b Forest road and trail information is available at Colorado Trail Explorer. A distance tool also allows measuring distance and elevation gain of off-trail routes. Accessed 4 August 2024
External links
edit- Media related to Long Branch Baldy at Wikimedia Commons
