Shoshoni Peak
Shoshoni Peak is a mountain summit on the boundary shared by Boulder County and Grand County, in Colorado, United States.
Description
Shoshoni Peak is set on the Continental Divide in the Front Range which is a subrange of the Rocky Mountains. The mountain is located west of Boulder in the Indian Peaks Wilderness, on land managed by Arapaho National Forest and Roosevelt National Forest. It is the eighth-highest summit in the wilderness and 17th-highest in Boulder County. Precipitation runoff from the mountain's slopes drains chiefly into the headwaters of South St. Vrain Creek, except for the northwest slope which drains to Monarch Lake via Cascade Creek. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises above South St. Vrain Creek in less than one-half mile. An ascent of the peak involves hiking with of elevation gain. The mountain's toponym was officially adopted in 1966 by the United States Board on Geographic Names.
Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification system, the mountain is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers. 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. This climate supports the Isabelle Glacier on the southwest slope.
Climbing
Established climbing routes on Shoshoni Peak:
- North Couloir – class
- North slope – class 2
- Southwest Couloirs – class 3–5.2