Point Lookout (Colorado)

Point Lookout
North aspect
Highest point
Elevation8,427 ft (2,569 m)[1]
Prominence607 ft (185 m)[2]
Parent peakPark Point (8,571 ft)[2]
Isolation3.39 mi (5.46 km)[2]
Coordinates37°18′57″N 108°25′07″W / 37.3158286°N 108.4186979°W / 37.3158286; -108.4186979[3]
Geography
Point Lookout is located in Colorado
Point Lookout
Point Lookout
Location in Colorado
Point Lookout is located in the United States
Point Lookout
Point Lookout
Point Lookout (the United States)
LocationMesa Verde National Park
Montezuma County, Colorado, U.S.
Parent rangeColorado Plateau
Topo mapUSGS Point Lookout
Geology
Rock ageCretaceous
Rock typePoint Lookout Sandstone
Climbing
Easiest routeclass 1 hiking trail[2]

Point Lookout is an 8,427-foot (2,569 meter) elevation sandstone summit located in Mesa Verde National Park, in Montezuma County of southwest Colorado.[3] This prominent landmark is situated 2 miles (3.2 km) south of the park entrance, and 9.3 miles (15.0 km) east-southeast of the town of Cortez, and towers 1,600 feet above the surrounding terrain of Mancos Valley. Soldiers from Fort Lewis army post used its lofty position to send heliographic signals to troops campaigning in the west.[4] A trail climbs 2.2 miles (3.5 km) round-trip to the top and offers views of Montezuma and Mancos valleys, as well as the La Plata Mountains. This geographical feature's name was officially adopted in 1934 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names.[3]

  1. ^ "Point Lookout, Colorado". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
  2. ^ a b c d "Point Lookout - 8,427' CO". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
  3. ^ a b c "Point Lookout". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
  4. ^ Duane A. Smith, "Mesa Verde National Park", Arcadia Publishing, 2009.