The Castles are naturally occurring pillars of stone in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States.
Description The Castles, elevation 12,296-feet (3,748 m), are situated in the West Elk Mountains which are a subrange of the Rocky Mountains. The landform is located northwest of Gunnison in the West Elk Wilderness on land managed by Gunnison National Forest. These 500-ft high pillars are the signature landmark of the West Elk Wilderness,Backpacker, May 1998, p. 165. and are one of Colorado's most unique rock formations.Ralph Lee Hopkins, Lindy Birkel Hopkins (2000), Hiking Colorado's Geology, The Mountaineers Books, , p. 150. Precipitation runoff from the mountain's slopes drains into Castle Creek → Ohio Creek → Gunnison River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises above South Castle Creek in . The landform's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names.
Climate According to the Köppen climate classification system, The Castles is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers. 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.
See also
List of mountain peaks of Colorado
Gallery
References
External links The Castles: weather forecast The Castles rock climbing: Mountainproject.com