Cross Mountain (Colorado)

Cross Mountain is a 12703 ft summit on the border shared by Dolores and San Miguel County, in Colorado, United States.

Description
Cross Mountain is located 11 mi southwest of the community of Telluride in the Lizard Head Wilderness, on land administered by Uncompahgre National Forest and San Juan National Forest. It is situated west of the Continental Divide in the San Juan Mountains which are a subrange of the Rocky Mountains. Precipitation runoff from the mountain's south slope drains to the Dolores River via Slate Creek, whereas the north slope drains to the San Miguel River via Bilk Creek. Topographic relief is modest as the summit rises 2100 ft above Slate Creek in 1.4 mi. An ascent of the summit involves hiking 4.3 mi with 2,663 feet of elevation gain from the Cross Mountain Trailhead along Highway 145. The mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names.

Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Cross Mountain has an alpine climate 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. Climbers can expect afternoon rain, hail, and lightning from the seasonal monsoon in late July and August.