Rinker Peak

CountryUnited StatesStateColoradoCountyChaffeeProtected areaSan Isabel National ForestParent rangeRocky Mountains
Sawatch Range
Collegiate Peaks^[3]Topo mapUSGS Mount ElbertClimbingEasiest routeclass 2 hiking^[1] Northeast ridge^[4]

Rinker Peak is a 13,789-foot (4,203 m) mountain summit in Chaffee County, Colorado, United States.

Description

Rinker Peak is set approximately seven miles (11 km) east of the Continental Divide in the Collegiate Peaks which are a subrange of the Sawatch Range. The mountain is located four miles (6.4 km) southwest of Twin Lakes on land managed by San Isabel National Forest.^[1] It ranks as the 114th-highest summit in Colorado.^[1] Precipitation runoff from the mountain's slopes drains into Lake Creek which is a tributary of the Arkansas River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 4,100 feet (1,250 m) above Lake Creek in two miles (3.2 km). The highest peak in Colorado, Mount Elbert, is 5.59 miles (9.00 km) to the north of Rinker.^[3] An ascent of Rinker Peak involves eight miles of hiking with 4,700-feet of elevation gain.^[4]

Etymology

The mountain's toponym was officially adopted June 11, 1987, by the United States Board on Geographic Names to remember Robert Lee Rinker (1911–1985) who lived at the base of the mountain for 52 years.^[2]

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Rinker Peak is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers.^[5] 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.

See also

• Mountains portal
• Mountains of Chaffee County, Colorado
• Thirteener

References

External links

• Rinker Peak: weather forecast
• Flickr (photo): Mt. Hope, Twin Peaks, Rinker Peak