| Downs Mountain | |
|---|---|
  Downs Mountain Location in Wyoming  Downs Mountain Location in the United States | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 13,355 ft (4,071 m)[1] |
| Prominence | 1,549 ft (472 m)[1] |
| Coordinates | 43°18′36″N 109°40′21″W / 43.31000°N 109.67250°W[2] |
| Geography | |
| Location | Fremont / Sublette counties, Wyoming, U.S. |
| Parent range | Wind River Range |
| Topo map | USGS Downs Mountain |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | Batholith |
Downs Mountain (13,355 ft (4,071 m)) is located in the Wind River Range in the U.S. state of Wyoming.[3] Downs Mountain is the 15th highest peak in Wyoming.[4] The summit is on the Continental Divide in both Shoshone and Bridger-Teton National Forests. The East Torrey Glacier is on the northern slopes of Downs Mountain, while Continental Glacier lies to the west and north and the Downs Glacier is 1 mi (1.6 km) to the south.
Climate[edit]
| Climate data for Downs Mountain 43.3086 N, 109.6748 W, Elevation: 13,064 ft (3,982 m) (1991–2020 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 17.6 (−8.0) |
16.7 (−8.5) |
21.8 (−5.7) |
27.3 (−2.6) |
36.2 (2.3) |
46.9 (8.3) |
56.4 (13.6) |
55.2 (12.9) |
46.7 (8.2) |
34.6 (1.4) |
23.2 (−4.9) |
17.1 (−8.3) |
33.3 (0.7) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 8.0 (−13.3) |
6.5 (−14.2) |
11.0 (−11.7) |
15.7 (−9.1) |
24.4 (−4.2) |
34.4 (1.3) |
42.8 (6.0) |
41.8 (5.4) |
34.0 (1.1) |
23.4 (−4.8) |
14.0 (−10.0) |
7.9 (−13.4) |
22.0 (−5.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | −1.5 (−18.6) |
−3.7 (−19.8) |
0.2 (−17.7) |
4.1 (−15.5) |
12.6 (−10.8) |
21.9 (−5.6) |
29.2 (−1.6) |
28.4 (−2.0) |
21.3 (−5.9) |
12.1 (−11.1) |
4.7 (−15.2) |
−1.3 (−18.5) |
10.7 (−11.9) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.78 (96) |
3.93 (100) |
4.15 (105) |
5.62 (143) |
4.84 (123) |
2.98 (76) |
1.94 (49) |
2.02 (51) |
2.88 (73) |
3.37 (86) |
3.48 (88) |
3.86 (98) |
42.85 (1,088) |
| Source: PRISM Climate Group[5] | |||||||||||||
Hazards[edit]
Encountering bears is a concern in the Wind River Range.[6] There are other concerns as well, including bugs, wildfires, adverse snow conditions and nighttime cold temperatures.[7]
Importantly, there have been notable incidents, including accidental deaths, due to falls from steep cliffs (a misstep could be fatal in this class 4/5 terrain) and due to falling rocks, over the years, including 1993,[8] 2007 (involving an experienced NOLS leader),[9] 2015[10] and 2018.[11] Other incidents include a seriously injured backpacker being airlifted near SquareTop Mountain[12] in 2005,[13] and a fatal hiker incident (from an apparent accidental fall) in 2006 that involved state search and rescue.[14] The U.S. Forest Service does not offer updated aggregated records on the official number of fatalities in the Wind River Range.
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Downs Mountain, Wyoming". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
- ^ "Downs Mountain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
- ^ Downs Mountain, WY (Map). TopoQwest (United States Geological Survey Maps). Retrieved May 26, 2013.
- ^ "Wyoming 13,000-foot Peaks". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
- ^ "PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University". PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
To find the table data on the PRISM website, start by clicking Coordinates (under Location); copy Latitude and Longitude figures from top of table; click Zoom to location; click Precipitation, Minimum temp, Mean temp, Maximum temp; click 30-year normals, 1991-2020; click 800m; click Retrieve Time Series button.
- ^ Staff (April 24, 2017). "Bear Safety in Wyoming's Wind River Country". WindRiver.org. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ Ballou, Dawn (July 27, 2005). "Wind River Range condition update - Fires, trails, bears, Continental Divide". PineDaleOnline News. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ Staff (1993). "Falling Rock, Loose Rock, Failure to Test Holds, Wyoming, Wind River Range, Seneca Lake". American Alpine Club. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ MacDonald, Dougald (August 14, 2007). "Trundled Rock Kills NOLS Leader". Climbing. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ Staff (December 9, 2015). "Officials rule Wind River Range climbing deaths accidental". Casper Star-Tribune. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ Dayton, Kelsey (August 24, 2018). "Deadly underestimation". WyoFile News. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ Funk, Jason (2009). "Squaretop Mountain Rock Climbing". Mountain Project. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ Staff (July 22, 2005). "Injured man rescued from Square Top Mtn - Tip-Top Search & Rescue helps 2 injured on the mountain". PineDaleOnline News. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
- ^ Staff (September 1, 2006). "Incident Reports - September, 2006 - Wind River Search". WildernessDoc.com. Archived from the original on January 27, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2022.