| Whitecross Mountain | |
| Elevation Ft: | 13553 |
| Elevation Ref: | [1] |
| Prominence Ft: | 573 |
| Isolation Mi: | 1.37 |
| Parent Peak: | Handies Peak (14,048 ft)[2] |
| Country: | United States |
| State: | Colorado |
| Region: | Hinsdale |
| Region Type: | County |
| Range: | Rocky Mountains San Juan Mountains[3] |
| Map: | Colorado#USA |
| Label Position: | top |
| Coordinates: | 37.9307°N -107.4933°W |
| Coordinates Ref: | [4] |
| Topo: | USGS Redcloud Peak |
Whitecross Mountain is a 13553feet summit in Hinsdale County, Colorado, United States.
Whitecross Mountain is set 6miles west of the Continental Divide in the San Juan Mountains which are a subrange of the Rocky Mountains. It is located 1.36miles north-northeast of Handies Peak on land administered by the Bureau of Land Management.[3] [5] Whitecross Mountain is the seventh-highest peak in the Handies Peak Wilderness Study Area.[1] Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 2800abbr=offNaNabbr=off above Lake Fork in 0.8 mile (1.3 km). The mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names.[4] The mountain's name is attributable to white quartzite in the shape of a cross near the summit.[6]
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Whitecross Mountain is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone 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. Hikers can expect afternoon rain, hail, and lightning from the seasonal monsoon in late July and August.