| Horseshoe Mountain | |
| Photo Size: | 275px |
| Elevation Ft: | 13905 |
| Elevation Ref: | [1] [2] |
| Prominence Ft: | 758 |
| Isolation Mi: | 2.83 |
| Range: | Mosquito Range |
| Location: | Lake and Park counties, Colorado, United States |
| Map: | Colorado |
| Coordinates: | 39.1858°N -106.1853°W |
| Coordinates Ref: | [3] |
| Topo: | USGS 7.5' topographic map Mount Sherman, Colorado |
| Easiest Route: | hike |
Horseshoe Mountain is a high mountain summit in the Mosquito Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The 13905feet thirteener is located 11.5km (07.1miles) southeast by east (bearing 126°) of the City of Leadville, Colorado, United States, on the drainage divide separating San Isabel National Forest and Lake County from Pike National Forest and Park County.[1] [2] [3]
The mountain has a unique and prominent cirque. The cirque is tilted and made up of Paleozoic sedimentary rocks that formed on the floors of ancient seas. It is rare to find sedimentary rocks this high up in Colorado's higher elevations, for most sedimentary stata in the high country were eroded away by glaciers during the ice age. In this case, the glaciers sculpted the strata into a horseshoe shape without eroding it completely.[4] [5]