Editing Colorado (section)

===Mountains===
{{GeoGroup|article=List of mountain peaks of Colorado|section=Highest major summits}}
{{See also|List of mountain peaks of Colorado}}
[[File:Mt. Elbert.jpg|thumb|[[Mount Elbert]] at {{convert|4401.2|m|order=flip}} is the highest summit of the [[Rocky Mountains]] and Colorado.]]

To the west of the Great Plains of Colorado rises the eastern slope of the [[Rocky Mountains]]. Notable peaks of the Rocky Mountains include [[Longs Peak]], [[Mount Blue Sky]], [[Pikes Peak]], and the [[Spanish Peaks]] near [[Walsenburg, Colorado|Walsenburg]], in southern Colorado. This area drains to the east and the southeast, ultimately either via the [[Mississippi River]] or the [[Rio Grande]] into the [[Gulf of Mexico]].

The Rocky Mountains within Colorado contain 53 true peaks and 58 named peaks<ref>{{Cite web |title=What are 14ers? Colorado's Tallest Mountains |url=https://www.14ers.com/what-are-14ers |access-date=2024-11-02 |website=14ers.com |language=en}}</ref> that are {{convert|14000|ft|m|0|sp=us}} or higher in elevation above sea level, known as [[Colorado fourteeners|fourteeners]].<ref>{{cite web|author=U.S. Forest Service|title=Rocky Mountain Region 14ers |url=http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/recreation/14ers/ |access-date=November 6, 2009}}</ref> These mountains are largely covered with trees such as [[conifer]]s and [[aspen]]s up to the [[tree line]], at an elevation of about {{convert|12000|ft|m|0|sp=us}} in southern Colorado to about {{convert|10500|ft|m|0|sp=us}} in northern Colorado. Above this tree line, only alpine vegetation grows.

Much of the alpine snow melts by mid-August except for a few snow-capped peaks and a few small glaciers. The [[Colorado Mineral Belt]], stretching from the [[San Juan Mountains]] in the southwest to [[Boulder, Colorado|Boulder]] and [[Central City, Colorado|Central City]] on the front range, contains most of the historic gold- and silver-mining districts of Colorado. The 30 [[Highest mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountains|highest major summits]] of the Rocky Mountains of North America are all within the state.

The summit of Mount Elbert at {{convert|4400.58|m|order=flip}} elevation in [[Lake County, Colorado|Lake County]] is the highest point in Colorado and the Rocky Mountains of North America.<ref name="Mount_Elbert">{{cite ngs|id=KL0637|designation=Mount Elbert|access-date=October 20, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=US Department of Commerce |first=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |title=Moving Mountains |url=https://geodesy.noaa.gov/web/news/moving-mountains.shtml |access-date=2024-11-09 |website=geodesy.noaa.gov |language=EN-US}}</ref> Colorado is the only U.S. state that lies entirely above 1,000 meters elevation. The point where the [[Arikaree River]] flows out of [[Yuma County, Colorado]], and into [[Cheyenne County, Kansas]], is the lowest in Colorado at {{convert|1011|m|order=flip}} elevation. This point, which is the highest low elevation point of any state,<ref name="USGS" /><ref>{{cite web|author=U.S. Geological Survey |title=Elevations and Distances |url=http://erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html#Highest |access-date=September 8, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080116113632/http://erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/elvadist/elvadist.html |archive-date=January 16, 2008 }}</ref> is higher than the high elevation points of 18 states and the District of Columbia.

====Continental Divide====
[[File:Grays Peak, Colorado - 2007-06-17.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Grays Peak]], at {{convert|4352|m|order=flip}}, is the highest point on the [[Continental Divide of the Americas|Continental Divide]] in North America.]]

The [[Continental Divide of the Americas]] extends along the crest of the Rocky Mountains. The area of Colorado to the west of the Continental Divide is called the [[Colorado Western Slope|Western Slope of Colorado]]. West of the Continental Divide, water flows to the southwest via the [[Colorado River (U.S.)|Colorado River]] and the [[Green River (Colorado River)|Green River]] towards the [[Gulf of California]].

Within the interior of the Rocky Mountains are several large parks which are high broad basins. In the north, on the east side of the Continental Divide is the [[North Park (Colorado basin)|North Park of Colorado]]. The North Park is drained by the [[North Platte River]], which flows north into Wyoming and Nebraska. Just to the south of North Park, but on the western side of the Continental Divide, is the [[Middle Park (Colorado basin)|Middle Park of Colorado]], which is drained by the Colorado River. The [[South Park (Park County, Colorado)|South Park of Colorado]] is the region of the [[headwater]]s of the South Platte River.