Mount Eolus

Mount Eolus is a high mountain summit of the Needle Mountains range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The 14,085-foot (4,293 m) fourteener is located in the Weminuche Wilderness of San Juan National Forest, 27.4 miles (44.1 km) northeast by north (bearing 29°) of the City of Durango in La Plata County, Colorado, United States.^[5][2][3]

Mount Eolus
Mount Eolus
Highest point
Elevation	14,085.0 ft (4,293.1 m)[1]
Prominence	1,024 ft (312 m)[2]
Isolation	1.69 mi (2.72 km)[2]
Listing	Colorado fourteeners 33rd
Coordinates	37°37′18″N 107°37′22″W[3]
Geography
Mount Eolus Location in Colorado
Location	La Plata County, Colorado, U.S.[3]
Parent range	San Juan Mountains, Needle Mountains[2]
Topo map(s)	USGS 7.5' topographic map Columbine Pass, Colorado[3]
Climbing
Easiest route	Northeast Ridge: Scramble, class 3[4]

Named after the Greek god of the wind, the mountain was originally referred to as "Aeolus" in the 1874 Hayden Survey.^[6] The current spelling of "Eolus" was first used in the Wheeler Survey of 1878.^[7]

Climbing

Mount Eolus is one of three fourteeners in the Needle Mountains; the others are Sunlight Peak and Windom Peak. All three peaks are located around the cirque known as Upper Chicago Basin. Eolus lies to the west of the upper basin, while the other peaks lie on the east side. These mountains are among the most remote of Colorado's fourteeners and have a strong wilderness character.

North Eolus, elevation 14,045 ft (4,281 m), is a northern subpeak of Mount Eolus, though it is not usually counted as a separate peak or as an official fourteener, since it has a topographic prominence of only 179 ft (55 m).^[8] It is sometimes climbed in conjunction with Eolus.^[9]

Climate

Climate data for Mount Eolus 37.6271 N, 107.6151 W, Elevation: 13,333 ft (4,064 m) (1991–2020 normals)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	25.2 (−3.8)	24.9 (−3.9)	29.4 (−1.4)	34.2 (1.2)	42.6 (5.9)	54.2 (12.3)	58.6 (14.8)	56.5 (13.6)	50.8 (10.4)	41.4 (5.2)	31.8 (−0.1)	25.4 (−3.7)	39.6 (4.2)
Daily mean °F (°C)	13.3 (−10.4)	12.6 (−10.8)	16.8 (−8.4)	21.3 (−5.9)	29.9 (−1.2)	40.5 (4.7)	45.4 (7.4)	43.9 (6.6)	38.2 (3.4)	29.0 (−1.7)	20.3 (−6.5)	13.8 (−10.1)	27.1 (−2.7)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	1.4 (−17.0)	0.4 (−17.6)	4.1 (−15.5)	8.4 (−13.1)	17.2 (−8.2)	26.9 (−2.8)	32.2 (0.1)	31.2 (−0.4)	25.5 (−3.6)	16.6 (−8.6)	8.8 (−12.9)	2.3 (−16.5)	14.6 (−9.7)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	4.80 (122)	4.95 (126)	4.65 (118)	4.72 (120)	3.52 (89)	1.30 (33)	2.46 (62)	3.99 (101)	3.19 (81)	3.99 (101)	4.54 (115)	4.99 (127)	47.1 (1,195)
Source: PRISM Climate Group[10]

See also

• List of mountain peaks of North America
  • List of mountain peaks of the United States
    • List of mountain peaks of Colorado
      • List of Colorado fourteeners

Gallery

• 
  Mount Eolus seen from Sunlight Peak.
• 
  Southeast aspect
• 
  Summit