Mount Moss

Mount Moss is a 13,192-foot-elevation (4,021-meter) mountain summit on the common boundary shared by La Plata County and Montezuma County in Colorado.[4]

Mount Moss
Northeast aspect, centered
(Lavender Peak to right)
Highest point
Elevation13,192 ft (4,021 m)[1][2]
Prominence272 ft (83 m)[2]
Parent peakLavender Peak (13,233 ft)[3]
Isolation0.23 mi (0.37 km)[2]
Coordinates37°26′20″N 108°04′42″W[4]
Geography
Mount Moss is located in Colorado
Mount Moss
Mount Moss
Location in Colorado
Mount Moss is located in the United States
Mount Moss
Mount Moss
Mount Moss (the United States)
CountryUnited States
StateColorado
CountyMontezuma / La Plata
Parent rangeRocky Mountains
San Juan Mountains
La Plata Mountains[2]
Topo mapUSGS La Plata[4]
Climbing
Easiest routeclass 2+[3]

Description

Mount Moss is located 16 miles (26 km) northwest of the community of Durango on land managed by San Juan National Forest. It ranks as the third-highest summit of the La Plata Mountains which are a subrange of the Rocky Mountains.[2] Precipitation runoff from the mountain's west slope drains to the Mancos River, the southeast slope drains to the La Plata River, and the northeast slope drains into the headwaters of Bear Creek which is a tributary of the Dolores River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 3,500 feet (1,100 meters) above the La Plata River in two miles (3.2 km) and 1,600 feet (490 meters) above Owen Basin in one-half mile (0.8 km). Neighbors include Centennial Peak, 0.57 miles (0.92 km) to the north, Lavender Peak, 0.23 miles (0.37 km) to the northwest, and Hesperus Mountain 0.72 miles (1.16 km) to the northwest.[2]

Etymology

The mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names.[4] The name was applied by Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden circa 1875 to honor John Thomas Moss (1839–1880), an American frontiersman, prospector, and miner.[5] John Moss was the founder of Parrott City which was six miles south of the peak. Moss and E.H. Cooper platted the townsite in 1874 and by 1876 it had 50 buildings, a courthouse and two sawmills.[6]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Mount Moss has an alpine climate with cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers.[7] Due to its altitude, it receives precipitation all year, as snow in winter and as thunderstorms in summer, with a dry period in late spring.

  • Mount Moss (left) and Lavender Peak (right) viewed from Centennial Peak
    Mount Moss (left) and Lavender Peak (right) viewed from Centennial Peak
  • Aerial from west: Hesperus, Lavender, Moss
    Aerial from west: Hesperus, Lavender, Moss
  • Hesperus Mountain (left) and Mount Moss (center) from the west at sunset
    Hesperus Mountain (left) and Mount Moss (center) from the west at sunset

See also

References
  1. Robert M. Ormes (2000), Guide to the Colorado Mountains, Colorado Mountain Club Press, ISBN 9780967146607, p. 321.
  2. "Mount Moss, Colorado". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  3. "Moss, Mount - 13,194' CO". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  4. "Mount Moss". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  5. Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden (1877), Ninth Annual Report of the United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories, Embracing Colorado and Parts of Adjacent Territories, US Government Printing Office, p. 268.
  6. Parrott City, Animasmuseum.org Retrieved May 21, 2023
  7. Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11. ISSN 1027-5606.
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