Mount Otto

Mount Otto is a 12,865-foot (3,921 m) mountain summit on the boundary shared by Fremont County and Saguache County, in Colorado, United States.

Mount Otto
Southwest aspect centered, from Highway 285
(Bushnell Peak to the left)
Highest point
Elevation12,865 ft (3,921 m)[1][2]
Prominence406 ft (124 m)[2]
Parent peakBushnell Peak (13,110 ft)[3][2][4]
Isolation1.02 mi (1.64 km)[2]
Coordinates38°19′39″N 105°52′56″W[5]
Geography
Mount Otto is located in Colorado
Mount Otto
Mount Otto
Location in Colorado
Mount Otto is located in the United States
Mount Otto
Mount Otto
Mount Otto (the United States)
CountryUnited States
StateColorado
CountyFremont County / Saguache County
Protected areaSangre de Cristo Wilderness
Parent rangeRocky Mountains
Sangre de Cristo Range[4]
Topo mapUSGS Bushnell Peak
Geology
Mountain typeFault block
Type of rockMetamorphic rock[6]
Climbing
Easiest routeclass 2 hiking[2]

Description

Mount Otto is set 21 miles (34 km) east of the Continental Divide in the Sangre de Cristo Range which is a subrange of the Rocky Mountains. It is the fifth-highest summit in Fremont County and can be seen from Highway 285 near the community of Villa Grove.[3] The mountain is located in the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness, on land managed by San Isabel National Forest and Rio Grande National Forest.[4] Precipitation runoff from the mountain's west slope drains to San Luis Creek and the east slope drains to the Arkansas River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 4,200 feet (1,280 m) above the San Luis Valley in two miles (3.2 km).

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Mount Otto is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone 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.

Etymology
Otto Mears

The mountain's toponym was officially adopted in 1970 by the United States Board on Geographic Names to commemorate Otto Mears (1840–1931), early pioneer in the San Luis Valley and interpreter-negotiator for early Indian treaties, developer of roads, railroads, and mining and milling operations in the San Juan Mountains region.[5] Notably, he built the Million Dollar Highway, and built and operated a historic toll road over nearby Poncha Pass into the valley. There is a Mears Peak in the Sneffels Range of the San Juans which is also named after him.

See also
Bushnell Peak (left) and Mount Otto (right)
East aspect of Mount Otto centered, Bushnell Peak to the right.

References
  1. Robert M. Ormes (1992), Guide to the Colorado Mountains, Johnson Books, ISBN 9781555661946, p. 98.
  2. "Otto, Mount – 12,865' CO". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  3. "Mount Otto, Peakvisor.com". Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  4. "Mount Otto, Colorado". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  5. "Mount Otto". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  6. Ferdinand V. Hayden (1877), Annual Report of Progress of the Exploration for the Year 1875 Embracing Colorado, Parts of Adjacent Territories, U.S. Government Printing Office, p. 208.
  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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