Twining Peak

{{Infobox mountain

| name = Twining Peak

| photo = Twining Peak, Colorado.jpg

| photo_caption = South aspect

| elevation_ft = 13711

| elevation_ref =Mike Garratt, Bob Martin (1984), Colorado's High Thirteeners, Johnson Books, {{ISBN|9780917895395}}, p. 34.{{cite peakbagger|pid=16668|title=Twining Peak, Colorado|access-date=April 6, 2023}}

| prominence_ft = 1231

| prominence_ref =

| isolation_mi = 2.15

| isolation_ref =

| parent_peak = Deer Mountain (13,763 ft){{cite web|url=https://listsofjohn.com/peak/169|title=Twining Peak - 13,721' CO|website=listsofjohn.com|access-date=April 6, 2023}}

| etymology = Dr. Warren Hugh Twining

| country = United States

| state = Colorado

| region = Pitkin County / Lake County

| region_type = County

| part_type = Protected area | part = Mount Massive Wilderness
Hunter–Fryingpan Wilderness

| range = Rocky Mountains
Sawatch Range

| map = Colorado#USA

| map_caption = Location in Colorado

| coordinates = {{coord|39.1347111|N|106.5633965|W|type:mountain_region:US-CO_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

| coordinates_ref ={{cite gnis|id=196503|name=Twining Peak|access-date=April 6, 2023}}

| topo = USGS Mount Champion

| rock =

| age =

| first_ascent =

| easiest_route = {{YDS|2}} hiking

}}

Twining Peak is a {{convert|13711|ft|0|adj=on}} mountain summit on the shared border of Pitkin County and Lake County, in Colorado, United States.

Description

Twining Peak is set on the Continental Divide {{convert|2|mi|km}} north of Independence Pass in the Sawatch Range which is a subrange of the Rocky Mountains. It ranks as the 138th-highest peak in Colorado. The mountain is located {{convert|15|mi|km}} east of the community of Aspen on land managed by White River National Forest and San Isabel National Forest. The peak is situated on the boundary shared by Mount Massive Wilderness and Hunter–Fryingpan Wilderness. Precipitation runoff from the mountain's slopes drains west into headwaters of the Roaring Fork River and east to the Arkansas River via Lake Creek. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises {{convert|2300|ft|0}} above Roaring Fork River in {{convert|1|mi|km|spell=in}} and {{convert|2500|ft|0}} above North Fork Lake Creek in {{convert|1|mi|km|spell=in}}. An ascent of the peak involves hiking {{convert|4|mi|km|spell=in}} with {{convert|1700|ft|0}} of elevation gain and is considered the shortest climb from a paved highway of Colorado's 200 highest peaks.

Etymology

The mountain's toponym was officially adopted on January 1, 1974, by the United States Board on Geographic Names to honor Dr. Warren Hugh Twining (1876–1946), mayor of Aspen (1905–1907), member of Colorado House of Representatives (1925–34), and Speaker of the Colorado State House of Representatives (1933–34). He was instrumental in establishing Western College in Gunnison.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification system, Twining Peak is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers.{{cite journal | author = Peel, M. C. |author2=Finlayson, B. L. |author3=McMahon, T. A. | year = 2007 | title = Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification | journal = Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. | volume = 11 | issn = 1027-5606}} 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.