Rinker Peak is a 13,789-foot (4,203 m) mountain summit in Chaffee County, Colorado, United States.

Rinker Peak
Twin Peaks and Rinker Peak (behind)
Northeast aspect, from Twin Lakes
Highest point
Elevation13,789 ft (4,203 m)[1]
Prominence943 ft (287 m)[1]
Parent peakMount Hope (13,939 ft)[1]
Isolation1.53 mi (2.46 km)[1]
Coordinates39°02′12″N 106°26′24″W / 39.0367697°N 106.4401248°W / 39.0367697; -106.4401248[2]
Naming
EtymologyRobert Lee Rinker
Geography
Rinker Peak is located in Colorado
Rinker Peak
Rinker Peak
Location in Colorado
Rinker Peak is located in the United States
Rinker Peak
Rinker Peak
Rinker Peak (the United States)
CountryUnited States
StateColorado
CountyChaffee
Protected areaSan Isabel National Forest
Parent rangeRocky Mountains
Sawatch Range
Collegiate Peaks[3]
Topo mapUSGS Mount Elbert
Climbing
Easiest routeclass 2 hiking[1] Northeast ridge[4]

Description

edit

Rinker Peak is set approximately seven miles (11 km) east of the Continental Divide in the Collegiate Peaks which are a subrange of the Sawatch Range. The mountain is located four miles (6.4 km) southwest of Twin Lakes on land managed by San Isabel National Forest.[1] It ranks as the 114th-highest summit in Colorado.[1] Precipitation runoff from the mountain's slopes drains into Lake Creek which is a tributary of the Arkansas River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 4,100 feet (1,250 m) above Lake Creek in two miles (3.2 km). The highest peak in Colorado, Mount Elbert, is 5.59 miles (9.00 km) to the north of Rinker.[3] An ascent of Rinker Peak involves eight miles of hiking with 4,700-feet of elevation gain.[4]

 
Southeast aspect of Rinker from Mt. Hope
 
West aspect of Rinker above Ellingwood Ridge

Etymology

edit

The mountain's toponym was officially adopted June 11, 1987, by the United States Board on Geographic Names to remember Robert Lee Rinker (1911–1985) who lived at the base of the mountain for 52 years.[2]

Climate

edit

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Rinker Peak is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers.[5] 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. Climbers can expect afternoon rain, hail, and lightning from the seasonal monsoon in late July and August.

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Rinker Peak - 13,789' CO". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Rinker Peak". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Rinker Peak, Colorado". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Mike Garratt, Bob Martin (1984), Colorado's High Thirteeners, Johnson Books, ISBN 9780917895395, p. 40.
  5. ^ 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.
edit