The range designations drive me crazy sometimes... There's all these designations like the Sawatch, Gore, Mosquito, on the Front Side, but all the mountains on the Back Side just get called the 'San Juans'. Looking down from space, there's a pretty decent sectioning of a Front Range (Sangres + Sawatch + Goresquito + "Front Range" + Medicine Bow) and then a Back Range (Jemez + Tusas + "San Juans" + Uncompaghre Plateau + Waas Mountains). The ones that don't fit well are the Elks, Grand Mesa, Flat Tops, and Park Range. Maybe they could be like #3 here.
But the point is this, there should be like a parent section of mountains (Front Range, Back Range) and then the range designation like Jemez, Culebra, Sawatch, Flat Tops. The only ones that should be called the 'San Juans' should be the section from south of Rio Grande Reservoir down to hwy 17 between Antonito and Chama. These mountains are characteristically all similar and should be one 'range'. All the other mountains like Eolus, Sneffels, Uncompaghre, Hesperus, these all need to be kicked out of the "San Juans" and put into other buckets cause they don't look anything like Conejos peak or the mountains that are the SLV side San Juans (which is where the name originally came from).
The Front Range does a lot better at breaking out these subdivisions between ranges based on similarities and differences (Elks vs Sawatch for example), we need to hold the Back Range to the same type of naming.
We should call the San Juans the Back Range since all of them together are almost as big as the Front Range
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Re: We should call the San Juans the Back Range since all of them together are almost as big as the Front Range
The SJs are subdivided also.
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Re: We should call the San Juans the Back Range since all of them together are almost as big as the Front Range
Or, the Front Range is the odd man out because it's one of the only ranges in Colorado that's named based on relative location and not some arbitrary person/thing. Therefore it's actually the Front Range that's poorly named and needs to be renamed to something better so you aren't as confused. You can take the name of my beloved San Juan Mountains from my cold, dead hands.
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Re: We should call the San Juans the Back Range since all of them together are almost as big as the Front Range
Yeah, that map shows our current state of mass confusion! It's messed up and needs a board to come in and fix it.
For the rest of the ranges, they have their own little neat header like The Flat Tops, but then the San Juans have the San Juan superimposed on all of the range names - thats screwed up. Then they have to call the real San Juans the South San Juans cause they don't know how to distingushify. Like where's the North San Juans, is that that unnamed hole that's the weird wilderness thing north of Pagosa?
And I totally agree about the Front Range. The Front Range is a meta designator that includes the Wet Mountains, Spanish Peaks, Pikes peak etc. That range that goes from Rollins Pass to Silverheels needs it's own name, like the Goldbelt Range or something. And for the love of god, what weirdo thought to make the Mosquito, Ten Mile and Gore all separate, but then decide that that section north of the Colorado can be like Gore2.0 even though it's directly contiguous to the Park range...
For the rest of the ranges, they have their own little neat header like The Flat Tops, but then the San Juans have the San Juan superimposed on all of the range names - thats screwed up. Then they have to call the real San Juans the South San Juans cause they don't know how to distingushify. Like where's the North San Juans, is that that unnamed hole that's the weird wilderness thing north of Pagosa?
And I totally agree about the Front Range. The Front Range is a meta designator that includes the Wet Mountains, Spanish Peaks, Pikes peak etc. That range that goes from Rollins Pass to Silverheels needs it's own name, like the Goldbelt Range or something. And for the love of god, what weirdo thought to make the Mosquito, Ten Mile and Gore all separate, but then decide that that section north of the Colorado can be like Gore2.0 even though it's directly contiguous to the Park range...
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Re: We should call the San Juans the Back Range since all of them together are almost as big as the Front Range
-Northern Mountains: Park, Elkhead, Flat Tops, Gore, Front Range, Tenmile/Mosquito
-Central Mountains: Elk, West Elk, Sawatch, Grand Mesa
-Southern Mountains: San Juans, Sangre de Cristo (maybe more SE, along with southern Front Range and Wet Mountains)
That's how all the Colorado ranges are organized from a weather forecasting perspective, likely applies here as well.
-Central Mountains: Elk, West Elk, Sawatch, Grand Mesa
-Southern Mountains: San Juans, Sangre de Cristo (maybe more SE, along with southern Front Range and Wet Mountains)
That's how all the Colorado ranges are organized from a weather forecasting perspective, likely applies here as well.
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Re: We should call the San Juans the Back Range since all of them together are almost as big as the Front Range
Oh, there's more. I had to figure this out a long time ago for a book. It took a while (and I don't ever want to do it again).
Front Range: Rawah Range, Laramie Mountains, Never Summer Range, Mummy Range, Indian Peaks, Vasquez Mountains, Williams Fork Mountains, Platte River Mountains, Kenosha Mountains, Tarryall Mountains, Puma Hills, Rampart Range, South Park Hills, Gorge Hills, Grand Canyon Hills, and McIntyre Hills
Sangre de Cristo Range: Wet Mountains, Crestone Mountains, Sangre de Cristo Range, Sierra Blanca Range, Spanish Peaks, and Culebra Range (In Colorado, the Sangres, Crestones, and Sierra Blancas are within the larger Sangre de Cristo Mountains; while the Culebras are an extension of that range and the Wet Mountains and Spanish Peaks lie outside that mountain range but are usually grouped with it.)
Southern Hills and Mesas: Great Sand Dunes, San Luis Hills, and Raton Mesas (in Colorado, Fishers Peak and Fishers Peak Mesa)
Park Ranges: Sierra Madre Range, Sawtooth Range, Park Range, Elkhead Range, Rabbit Ears Range, Gore Range, Tenmile Range, and Mosquito Range
Sawatch Range: Collegiate Peaks and Williams Mountains
Elk Range: Elk Mountains, Raggeds Range, Ruby Range, West Elk Mountains, and Anthracite Range
Western Mesas and Plateaus: Flat Tops, White River Plateau, and Colorado Plateau (In Colorado, the Roan Plateau, Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre Plateau, and Uintah Mountains)
San Juan Mountains: Cochetopa Hills, La Garita Mountains, South San Juan Mountains, Cimarron Range, Sneffels Range, San Miguel Mountains, West Needle Mountains, Rico Mountains, Grenadier Range, Needle Mountains, and La Plata Mountains
Front Range: Rawah Range, Laramie Mountains, Never Summer Range, Mummy Range, Indian Peaks, Vasquez Mountains, Williams Fork Mountains, Platte River Mountains, Kenosha Mountains, Tarryall Mountains, Puma Hills, Rampart Range, South Park Hills, Gorge Hills, Grand Canyon Hills, and McIntyre Hills
Sangre de Cristo Range: Wet Mountains, Crestone Mountains, Sangre de Cristo Range, Sierra Blanca Range, Spanish Peaks, and Culebra Range (In Colorado, the Sangres, Crestones, and Sierra Blancas are within the larger Sangre de Cristo Mountains; while the Culebras are an extension of that range and the Wet Mountains and Spanish Peaks lie outside that mountain range but are usually grouped with it.)
Southern Hills and Mesas: Great Sand Dunes, San Luis Hills, and Raton Mesas (in Colorado, Fishers Peak and Fishers Peak Mesa)
Park Ranges: Sierra Madre Range, Sawtooth Range, Park Range, Elkhead Range, Rabbit Ears Range, Gore Range, Tenmile Range, and Mosquito Range
Sawatch Range: Collegiate Peaks and Williams Mountains
Elk Range: Elk Mountains, Raggeds Range, Ruby Range, West Elk Mountains, and Anthracite Range
Western Mesas and Plateaus: Flat Tops, White River Plateau, and Colorado Plateau (In Colorado, the Roan Plateau, Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre Plateau, and Uintah Mountains)
San Juan Mountains: Cochetopa Hills, La Garita Mountains, South San Juan Mountains, Cimarron Range, Sneffels Range, San Miguel Mountains, West Needle Mountains, Rico Mountains, Grenadier Range, Needle Mountains, and La Plata Mountains
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Re: We should call the San Juans the Back Range since all of them together are almost as big as the Front Range
Humans. Too “smart” for their own good
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Re: We should call the San Juans the Back Range since all of them together are almost as big as the Front Range
This is like asking how many continents there are, while also asking where the border of Europe and Asia is.
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Re: We should call the San Juans the Back Range since all of them together are almost as big as the Front Range
+1susanjoypaul wrote: ↑Tue Jan 07, 2025 4:02 pm Oh, there's more. I had to figure this out a long time ago for a book. It took a while (and I don't ever want to do it again).
Front Range: Rawah Range, Laramie Mountains, Never Summer Range, Mummy Range, Indian Peaks, Vasquez Mountains, Williams Fork Mountains, Platte River Mountains, Kenosha Mountains, Tarryall Mountains, Puma Hills, Rampart Range, South Park Hills, Gorge Hills, Grand Canyon Hills, and McIntyre Hills
Sangre de Cristo Range: Wet Mountains, Crestone Mountains, Sangre de Cristo Range, Sierra Blanca Range, Spanish Peaks, and Culebra Range (In Colorado, the Sangres, Crestones, and Sierra Blancas are within the larger Sangre de Cristo Mountains; while the Culebras are an extension of that range and the Wet Mountains and Spanish Peaks lie outside that mountain range but are usually grouped with it.)
Southern Hills and Mesas: Great Sand Dunes, San Luis Hills, and Raton Mesas (in Colorado, Fishers Peak and Fishers Peak Mesa)
Park Ranges: Sierra Madre Range, Sawtooth Range, Park Range, Elkhead Range, Rabbit Ears Range, Gore Range, Tenmile Range, and Mosquito Range
Sawatch Range: Collegiate Peaks and Williams Mountains
Elk Range: Elk Mountains, Raggeds Range, Ruby Range, West Elk Mountains, and Anthracite Range
Western Mesas and Plateaus: Flat Tops, White River Plateau, and Colorado Plateau (In Colorado, the Roan Plateau, Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre Plateau, and Uintah Mountains)
San Juan Mountains: Cochetopa Hills, La Garita Mountains, South San Juan Mountains, Cimarron Range, Sneffels Range, San Miguel Mountains, West Needle Mountains, Rico Mountains, Grenadier Range, Needle Mountains, and La Plata Mountains

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Re: We should call the San Juans the Back Range since all of them together are almost as big as the Front Range
Next thing you know is someone will want to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America 

Last edited by Hiker Mike on Wed Jan 08, 2025 9:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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