Downs Mountain
Downs Mountain (13,355 ft (4,071 m)) is located in the Wind River Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming.[3] Downs Mountain is the 15th highest peak in Wyoming.[4] The summit is on the Continental Divide in both Shoshone and Bridger-Teton National Forests. The East Torrey Glacier is on the northern slopes of Downs Mountain, while Continental Glacier lies to the west and north and the Downs Glacier is 1 mi (1.6 km) to the south.
Downs Mountain | |
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Downs Mountain Location in Wyoming Downs Mountain Location in the United States | |
Highest point | |
Elevation | 13,355 ft (4,071 m) [1] |
Prominence | 1,549 ft (472 m) [1] |
Coordinates | 43°18′36″N 109°40′21″W [2] |
Geography | |
Location | Fremont / Sublette counties, Wyoming, U.S. |
Parent range | Wind River Range |
Topo map | USGS Downs Mountain |
Geology | |
Mountain type | Batholith |
Hazards
Encountering bears is a concern in the Wind River Range.[5] There are other concerns as well, including bugs, wildfires, adverse snow conditions and nighttime cold temperatures.[6]
Importantly, there have been notable incidents, including accidental deaths, due to falls from steep cliffs (a misstep could be fatal in this class 4/5 terrain) and due to falling rocks, over the years, including 1993,[7] 2007 (involving an experienced NOLS leader),[8] 2015[9] and 2018.[10] Other incidents include a seriously injured backpacker being airlifted near SquareTop Mountain[11] in 2005,[12] and a fatal hiker incident (from an apparent accidental fall) in 2006 that involved state search and rescue.[13] The U.S. Forest Service does not offer updated aggregated records on the official number of fatalities in the Wind River Range.
References
- "Downs Mountain, Wyoming". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
- "Downs Mountain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
- Downs Mountain, WY (Map). TopoQwest (United States Geological Survey Maps). Retrieved May 26, 2013.
- "Wyoming 13,000-foot Peaks". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
- Staff (April 24, 2017). "Bear Safety in Wyoming's Wind River Country". WindRiver.org. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
- Ballou, Dawn (July 27, 2005). "Wind River Range condition update - Fires, trails, bears, Continental Divide". PineDaleOnline News. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
- Staff (1993). "Falling Rock, Loose Rock, Failure to Test Holds, Wyoming, Wind River Range, Seneca Lake". American Alpine Club. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
- MacDonald, Dougald (August 14, 2007). "Trundled Rock Kills NOLS Leader". Climbing. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
- Staff (December 9, 2015). "Officials rule Wind River Range climbing deaths accidental". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
- Dayton, Kelsey (August 24, 2018). "Deadly underestimation". WyoFile News. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
- Funk, Jason (2009). "Squaretop Mountain Rock Climbing". Mountain Project. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
- Staff (July 22, 2005). "Injured man rescued from Square Top Mtn - Tip-Top Search & Rescue helps 2 injured on the mountain". PineDaleOnline News. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
- Staff (September 1, 2006). "Incident Reports - September, 2006 - Wind River Search". WildernessDoc.com. Retrieved February 17, 2019.