| Hayden Spire | |
|---|---|
 Northeast aspect | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 12,480 ft (3,800 m) |
| Prominence | 120 ft (37 m) |
| Parent peak | Sprague Mountain (12,713 ft) |
| Isolation | 0.44 mi (0.71 km) |
| Coordinates | 40°21′07″N 105°44′27″W / 40.3519288°N 105.7408410°W / 40.3519288; -105.7408410 |
| Naming | |
| Etymology | Julian Hayden |
| Geography | |
  Hayden SpireLocation in ColoradoShow map of Colorado Hayden SpireHayden Spire (the United States)Show map of the United States
| |
| Location | Rocky Mountain National Park Larimer County, Colorado, US |
| Parent range | Rocky Mountains Front Range |
| Topo map | USGS McHenrys Peak |
| Geology | |
| Rock type | gneiss, schist |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | class 5.2 climbing NE ridge |
Hayden Spire is a 12,480+ foot elevation (3,800 meter) pillar located in Rocky Mountain National Park, in Larimer County, Colorado, United States. It is situated 12 miles west of the community of Estes Park in Hayden Gorge, along a short spur on the Continental Divide. Hayden Spire is part of the Front Range which is a subset of the Rocky Mountains. It is the highest tower in a cluster of spires which can be viewed from Forest Canyon Overlook along the Trail Ridge Road. Topographic relief is significant as the north aspect rises 2,100 feet (640 meters) above Hayden Gulch in one-half mile. Neighbors include Terra Tomah Mountain two miles to the north, and Mount Julian 1.8 mile to the northwest.
Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Hayden Spire 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. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains northeast into the Big Thompson River via Hayden Creek.
Etymology
Hayden Spire was named in 1911 by Abner Erwin Sprague for Julian Hayden (1886–1964), a civil engineer who settled in Estes Park in 1906. He and his brother Albert fostered much of the development of Estes Park. The mountain's name has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names. Nearby Mount Julian is also named after Julian Hayden. Hayden Creek honors both brothers.
See also
- List of peaks in Rocky Mountain National Park
- Mountains of Larimer County, Colorado
Mountains portal
References
- Lisa Foster, 2005, Rocky Mountain National Park: The Complete Hiking Guide, Westcliffe Publishers, ISBN 9781565795501, page 99.
- ^ "Hayden Spire - 12,500' CO". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
- ^ "Hayden Spire". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
- William Bright, Colorado Place Names, 2004, Johnson Books, ISBN 9781555663339, page 95.
- John C. Emerick, 1994, Rocky Mountain National Park Natural History Handbook, Roberts Rinehart Publishers, ISBN 9781879373808, page 26.
- Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11. ISSN 1027-5606.
- Frederick Hastings Chapin, James H. Pickering, Frederick Chapin's Colorado: The Peaks about Estes Park, and Other Writings, University Press of Colorado, ISBN 9780870813665, page 214.
- The Armour Engineer, November 1922, page 22.
- James Dziezynski, Best Summit Hikes in Colorado, 2012, Wilderness Press, ISBN 9780899977133, page 110.
- Abner Erwin Sprague, My Pioneer Life: The Memoirs of Abner E. Sprague, Rocky Mountain Nature Association, ISBN 9780930487720, page XXX.
External links
- Hayden Spire Rock Climbing: Mountainproject.com
