| Centennial Peak | |
| Elevation Ft: | 13062 |
| Elevation Ref: | [1] [2] |
| Prominence Ft: | 262 |
| Prominence Ref: | [3] |
| Isolation Mi: | 0.43 |
| Parent Peak: | Lavender Peak (13,233 ft)[4] |
| Etymology: | Centennial |
| Country: | United States |
| State: | Colorado |
| Region: | Montezuma |
| Region Type: | County |
| Range: | Rocky Mountains San Juan Mountains La Plata Mountains |
| Map: | Colorado#USA |
| Label Position: | bottom |
| Coordinates: | 37.4473°N -108.0769°W |
| Coordinates Ref: | [5] |
| Topo: | USGS La Plata |
| Easiest Route: | via North ridge |
Centennial Peak is a 13062feet mountain summit in Montezuma County, Colorado.[5]
Centennial Peak is located 16miles northwest of the community of Durango on land managed by San Juan National Forest. It ranks as the six-highest summit of the La Plata Mountains which are a subrange of the Rocky Mountains.[3] Precipitation runoff from the mountain's west slope drains to the Mancos River and the east slope drains into the headwaters of Bear Creek which is a tributary of the Dolores River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 2460abbr=offNaNabbr=off above Bear Creek in one mile (1.6 km) and 1500abbr=offNaNabbr=off above Sliderock Basin in one-half mile (0.8 km). Neighbors include Mount Moss, 0.57miles to the south, Lavender Peak, 0.45miles to the south-southwest, and Hesperus Mountain 0.68miles to the west-southwest.[3] An ascent of Centennial Peak's summit involves hiking 4.4miles with 2130abbr=offNaNabbr=off of elevation gain.[6]
The mountain's toponym was officially adopted on July 8, 1976, by the United States Board on Geographic Names as proposed by the Colorado Centennial-Bicentennial Commission to commemorate 100 years of statehood since it was admitted to the Union on August 1, 1876.[5] Prior to that the landform was called "Banded Mountain", a descriptive name attributable to the alternating colored strata of sedimentary rock.[5] [6]
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Centennial Peak has an alpine climate with cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers.[7] 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.