Cochetopa Hills

The Cochetopa Hills[1] are a ridge of uplands on the Continental Divide in Saguache County, southern Colorado, United States. [2][3]

Aerial view of McDonough Reservoir No. 2 in the Cochetopa Hills.
Aerial view of Colorado State Highway 114 through hills near Cochetopa Dome.

Geography

The Cochetopa Hills ridge bridges the southern terminus of the Sawatch Range to the northern terminus of the La Garita Mountains of the San Juan Mountains System. The Cochetopa Hills are characterized by rolling terrain with peaks between 11,000 and 12,000 feet (3,400 and 3,700 m) and noteworthy volcanic geology. The Sawatch Range to the northeast and the La Garita Mountains to the south are characterized by higher peaks.

On USGS topographic maps, the area labeled Cochetopa Hills is roughly bounded by 13,269-foot (4,044 m) Antora Peak, the town of Sargents, the drainage of Cochetopa Creek, and the town of Saguache. North Pass on State Highway 114 and the backcountry Cochetopa Pass allow travel on Colorado State Highway 114 from the upper Rio Grande drainage on the east to the upper Gunnison River drainage on the west. [4]

The practice of naming mid-elevation upland areas in central and southern Colorado using the word hills is also illustrated by the naming of the similar uplands the Arkansas Hills, between the upper Arkansas Valley and South Park.

See also
  • San Juan Mountains (Colorado)
  • Mountains of Saguache County, Colorado
  • Ranges of the Rocky Mountains
Aerial view of Cochetopa Creek in the Cochetopa Hills.

References
  1. Pronounced /koʊtʃɪˈtoʊpə/ (listen) or sometimes locally /koʊtʃɪˈtoʊp/ (listen).
  2. Benson, Maxine (1994). 1001 Colorado Place Names. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas. ISBN 0-7006-0632-7.
  3. Lipman 1, Peter W.; William C. McIntosh (2008). "Eruptive and noneruptive calderas, northeastern San Juan Mountains, Colorado: Where did the ignimbrites come from?". Geological Society of America Bulletin. 120 (7–8): 771. Bibcode:2008GSAB..120..771L. doi:10.1130/B26330.1.
  4. Sangres.com: Cochetopa Crossing on CO Highway 114

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