Redcliff is a 13,642-foot-elevation (4,158 meter) mountain summit located in Hinsdale County, in southwest Colorado, United States.[4] It is situated nine miles northeast of the town of Ouray, in the Uncompahgre Wilderness, on land managed by Uncompahgre National Forest. It is part of the San Juan Mountains which are a subset of the Rocky Mountains, and is situated west of the Continental Divide. Redcliff ranks as the 175th-highest peak in Colorado,[3] and topographic relief is significant as the west aspect rises 2,300 feet (700 meters) above the West Fork Cimarron River valley in approximately one mile. Neighbors include Precipice Peak and Dunsinane Mountain along the west-middle Cimarron divide three miles to the north, and nearest higher neighbor Coxcomb Peak one-half mile to the south. An ascent of Redcliff involves 3,300 feet of elevation gain and 10 miles of hiking, round-trip.[5] The mountain's name was proposed by the Colorado Mountain Club, and was officially adopted in 1966 by the United States Board on Geographic Names.[4] It is so named because of a large reddish-colored cliff on the mountain's east face.[6]

Redcliff
Redcliff centered, view from Courthouse Mountain {Fortress Peak left, Coxcomb Peak right}
Highest point
Elevation	13,642 ft (4,158 m)[1][2]
Prominence	482 ft (147 m)[1]
Parent peak	Coxcomb Peak (13,656 ft)[3]
Isolation	0.49 mi (0.79 km)[3]
Coordinates	38°05′14″N 107°31′59″W[4]
Geography
Redcliff Location in Colorado Show map of Colorado Redcliff Redcliff (the United States) Show map of the United States
Location	Hinsdale County Colorado, US
Parent range	Rocky Mountains San Juan Mountains
Topo map	USGS Wetterhorn Peak
Geology
Type of rock	tuff
Climbing
Easiest route	class 2[3] South ridge

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Redcliff 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. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into headwaters of both the west and middle forks of the Cimarron River.

See also

• Mountains of Hinsdale County, Colorado

References

External links

• Weather forecast: National Weather Service
• Redcliff photo: Flickr