Mount Massive should not be confused with Massive Mountain.
| Mount Massive | |
| Elevation System: | NAPGD2022 |
| Elevation: | 14423.9 ft (4396.43 m) |
| Elevation Ref: | [1] |
| Prominence: | 1,961 ft (598 m) |
| Prominence Ref: | [2] |
| Isolation: | 5.06 mi (8.14 km) |
| Location: | Lake County, Colorado, U.S.[3] |
| Range: | Sawatch Range, Highest summit of the Massive Massif |
| Map: | Colorado |
| Label: | Mount Massive |
| Coordinates: | 39.1875°N -106.4757°W |
| Coordinates Ref: | [4] |
| Topo: | USGS 7.5' topographic map Mount Massive, Colorado |
| First Ascent: | 1873 by Henry Gannett |
| Easiest Route: | East Slopes: Hike, [5] |
Mount Massive (Arapaho: Hiwoxuu hookuhu'ee) is the second-highest summit of the Rocky Mountains of North America and the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the Mount Massive Wilderness of San Isabel National Forest, 17.1km (10.6miles) west-southwest (bearing 247°) of the City of Leadville in Lake County, Colorado, United States. Mount Massive edges out the third-highest summit of the Rockies, Mount Harvard, by 2feet, but falls short of Mount Elbert by 14feet. It ranks as the third-highest peak in the contiguous United States after Mount Whitney and Mount Elbert.[2] [3] [4] [6]
Mount Massive was first surveyed and climbed in 1873 during the Hayden Survey of the American West. Survey member Henry Gannett is credited with the first ascent.[7] Its name comes from its elongated shape: it has five summits, all above 14000feet, and a summit ridge over 3miles long, resulting in more area above 14000feet than any other mountain in the 48 contiguous states, narrowly edging Mount Rainier in that category. Mount Elbert (14440feet) is Mount Massive's nearest neighbor among the fourteeners; it lies about 5miles south-southeast of the peak.[8] A matter of some contention after the Great Depression arose over the heights of Massive and its neighbor, Mount Elbert, which have a height difference of only 12feet. This led to an ongoing dispute which came to a head with the Mount Massive supporters taking it upon themselves to build large piles of stones on the summit to boost its height, only to have the Mount Elbert proponents demolish them.[9] [10] [11]
A class 2 hiking path leads to the peak from the eastern face. The path is 13.6miles round trip, with a 4500feet elevation gain.[7] There is also a class 2 route along the southwest slopes.[12]
There are several glacial lakes in the wilderness area. The lower slopes of the mountain are covered in lodgepole pine forests, which gradually yield to Engelmann Spruce and Fir. Treeline is just below 12,000 feet. Among the mountain's fauna are the American pika, the mountain goat, elk, mule deer, moose, Canada jay, martin, and the yellow-bellied marmot.
In the Arapaho Language the Collegiate Range and Mount Massive are called Hiwoxuu hookuhu'ee or Elk's Head.