Steamboat Rock (Colorado)

Steamboat Rock is a 6,074-foot (1,851-meter) elevation cape located in the Uinta Mountains, in Moffat County of northwest Colorado, United States.[2] This iconic landmark of Dinosaur National Monument is situated at the confluence of the Green River and Yampa River. Precipitation runoff from this feature drains into the Green River. This geographical formation was originally named "Echo Rock" in John Wesley Powell's 1875 report, The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons. The Steamboat name first appeared on a 1941 United States Geological Survey map of Dinosaur National Monument.[2] The area around it still retains the Echo Park name applied by Powell during the Powell Geographic Expedition of 1869.

Steamboat Rock
Steamboat Rock, south aspect
Highest point
Elevation6,074 ft (1,851 m) [1]
Prominence294 ft (90 m) [1]
Parent peakJenny Lind Rock[1]
Isolation0.9 mi (1.4 km) [1]
Coordinates40°32′06″N 108°59′12″W [2]
Geography
Steamboat Rock
Location in Colorado
Steamboat Rock
Steamboat Rock (the United States)
LocationDinosaur National Monument
Moffat County, Colorado, US
Parent rangeUinta Mountains
Topo mapUSGS Canyon of Lodore South
Geology
Age of rockPermian-Pennsylvanian
Type of rockWeber Sandstone
Climbing
Easiest routeclass 5+ climbing[1]

Geology

Steamboat Rock is a mile-long, 1,000-ft high, slender peninsular ridge within a meander of the Green River. It is composed almost entirely of Permian-Pennsylvanian Weber Sandstone, with a thin layer of Park City Formation caprock.[3] It is located where the river exits Lodore Canyon and enters Echo Park. The river drops 15 feet as it courses around Steamboat Rock.

  • From the SSW
  • From the SSW
  • The south end of Steamboat Rock
  • Confluence of the Green and Yampa Rivers below the east wall of Steamboat Rock
  • From the southwest
  • From the west
  • Earliest known image of Steamboat Rock (1871)

Climate

Spring and fall are the most favorable seasons to visit Steamboat Rock. According to the Köppen climate classification system, it is located in a semi-arid climate zone, with temperatures averaging between 0°F to 30°F in January, and 50°F to 100°F in July.[4] Typical of high deserts, summer temperatures can be exceedingly hot, while winter temperatures can be very cold. Snowfall is common, but the snow melts rapidly in the arid and sunny climate. Rainfall is very low, and the evaporation rate classifies the area as desert, even though the rainfall exceeds 10 inches.

Climate data for Dinosaur National Monument
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) 33.0
(0.6)		 39.0
(3.9)		 50.4
(10.2)		 60.8
(16.0)		 71.9
(22.2)		 83.2
(28.4)		 90.5
(32.5)		 87.9
(31.1)		 77.7
(25.4)		 63.6
(17.6)		 45.7
(7.6)		 34.2
(1.2)		 61.5
(16.4)
Average low °F (°C) 10.8
(−11.8)		 15.2
(−9.3)		 25.0
(−3.9)		 31.8
(−0.1)		 40.5
(4.7)		 48.9
(9.4)		 56.6
(13.7)		 54.7
(12.6)		 45.5
(7.5)		 34.9
(1.6)		 23.3
(−4.8)		 12.7
(−10.7)		 33.3
(0.7)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.64
(16)		 0.56
(14)		 0.88
(22)		 1.17
(30)		 1.30
(33)		 1.06
(27)		 1.01
(26)		 0.89
(23)		 1.24
(31)		 1.46
(37)		 0.80
(20)		 0.62
(16)		 11.64
(296)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 9.2
(23)		 6.6
(17)		 5.9
(15)		 3.5
(8.9)		 0.7
(1.8)		 0.2
(0.51)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.2
(0.51)		 1.6
(4.1)		 4.7
(12)		 8.3
(21)		 41.1
(104)
Source: The Western Regional Climate Center[5]

References
  1. "Steamboat Rock - 6,074' CO". listsofjohn.com. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
  2. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Steamboat Rock
  3. H. E. Thomas, Hydrologic Reconnaissance of the Green River in Utah and Colorado, US Department of the Interior, 1962, page 10.
  4. Weather Dinosaur National Monument. National Park Service.gov
  5. "Seasonal Temperature and Precipitation Information". Western Regional Climate Center. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
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