Wilson Peak Panorama

The southern part of the San Juan Mountains, near Telluride and Silverton, includes some of the most spectacular peaks in Colorado. At 14,017 feet, Wilson Peak is the 48th highest of Colorado's 54 Fourteeners, but certainly ranks near the top of the list in rugged beauty. It was named for A. D. Wilson, cartographer extraordinaire with the Hayden Survey, which climbed and surveyed many of the San Juans' highest peaks in the summer of 1874. To the left of Wilson Peak sits the stark black volcanic plug known as Lizard Head. Sunshine Mountain (12,930 feet) rises still further left. On the far right are Dolores Peak (13,290 feet) and Middle Peak (13,291 feet).