Geography of Colorado
The Rocky Mountains within Colorado contain 54 peaks that are 14,000 feet (4270 m) or higher, known as fourteeners. The mountains are timbered with conifers and aspen to the tree line, at an elevation of about 12,000 feet (3,650 m) in southern Colorado to about 10,500 feet (3,200 m) in northern Colorado; above this only alpine vegetation grows. The Rockies are snow-covered only in the winter; most snow melts by mid-August with the exception of a few small glaciers. The Colorado Mineral Belt, stretching from the San Juan Mountains in the southwest to Boulder and Central City on the front range, contains most of the historic gold and silver mining districts of Colorado.
Geography of Colorado
The summit of Mount Elbert at elevation in Lake County is the state's highest point and the highest point in the Rocky Mountains of North America. Colorado has approximately 550 mountain peaks that exceed 4000 meters elevation. Colorado is the only U.S. state that lies entirely above 1000 meters elevation. The state's lowest elevation is at the point on the eastern boundary of Yuma County where the Arikaree River flows into the state of Kansas.