title: Mount Stratus
text: # Mount Stratus
  
  Mount Stratus is a 12,534-foot-elevation (3,820-meter) mountain summit in Grand County, Colorado, United States.
  
  ## Description
  
  Mount Stratus is the ninth-highest peak of the Never Summer Mountains which are a subrange of the Rocky Mountains. The mountain is situated on the western boundary of Rocky Mountain National Park and is visible from Trail Ridge Road within the park. The west side of the peak is in the Never Summer Wilderness which is managed by Arapaho National Forest. Precipitation runoff from the mountain's slopes drains into tributaries of the Colorado River except for a portion which is diverted by the Grand Ditch. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 3,600 feet (1,100 meters) above the Kawuneeche Valley in 2.5 miles (4.0 km) and 1,700 feet (520 meters) above Baker Gulch in three-quarters of a mile. An ascent of the peak involves hiking 12.8 miles (20.6 km) round-trip with 3,555 feet (1,084 m) of elevation gain.
  
  ## Etymology
  
  The mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names. In 1914, James Grafton Rogers named Mount Cirrus, Mount Nimbus, and Mount Cumulus for different types of common clouds, but he did not name Mt. Stratus, it was added later.
  
  ## Climate
  
  According to the Köppen climate classification system, Mount Nimbus 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.
  
  