What is the highest mountain in Colorado (USA)?

Mount Elbert is the highest mountain in Colorado, rising to about 4,401 metres (14,440 feet) above sea level. It stands in Lake County within the Sawatch Range of the Rocky Mountains, southwest of Leadville.

Elbert is also the highest summit in the entire Rocky Mountains and the highest point in the Mississippi River drainage basin. Despite its elevation, its standard northeast-ridge route is generally rated as a relatively straightforward Class 1–2 hike, which has earned the peak the nickname “the Gentle Giant.”

The mountain was named for Samuel Hitt Elbert, a prominent Colorado politician who served as territorial governor from 1873 to 1874. Henry W. Stuckle recorded the first ascent in 1874 during the Hayden Survey. Mount Massive, another Colorado fourteener, is nearby and can look competitive in photographs, but Mount Elbert remains the state’s highest summit. Only California’s Mount Whitney is higher among peaks in the contiguous United States.