| A fair warning: this is a 3.0 MB file, so be prepared for the download!
Also, it's a rather large image. On my computer it's about four screens wide by six screens tall.
Depending on your settings, it may be even larger.
A smaller version of the map without the links and rollovers is available as a 614 KB file.
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We're all familiar with the Continental Divide, that lengthy, squiggly line that bisects North America. Everyone knows that on the west side of the Divide, all watercourses surge toward the Pacific Ocean whereas the Atlantic Ocean is the destination for all precipitation that falls east of the Divide. What you may not know is how integral the Continental Divide – and indeed, all divide lines – are to the concept of prominence.
Viewing this map, you immediately grasp that all the mountains in Colorado are connected. But how are they connected? Prominence is calculated by taking the highest possible path from one mountain to a taller one. Consequently, this path always follows a ridge, whether its the jagged spine of the Needle Mountains or an almost unnoticable rise in the middle of South Park. When mapped, these key ridges are called divide lines. In Colorado, the Continental Divide acts as the main branch of the divide tree; one way or another, all peaks eventually connect to the Divide and by extension to the tallest and most prominent peaks in the state. Seeing the completed tree, you are left with something of an inverse map of Colorado's hydrologic system. Instead of primarily seeing the major creeks and rivers of the state, you see the divide lines that either partially or totally define their watershed boundaries. (For more detail, please refer to Aaron Maizlish's article, "An Exploration of the Divide Tree".)
It's important to note that no divide tree map is complete without showing connections to peaks in other states. Divide lines pay no regard to political boundaries. Some peaks, like Mount Peale in Utah, gain their prominence from their connection to Colorado. Likewise, the prominence values of some peaks in Colorado are reckoned by their connection to an out-of-state peak. Such is the case with Mount Elbert, Colorado's tallest and most prominent peak. Its lineage takes a several-thousand mile journey, tracing a path that winds along divide lines through Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada before finally reaching California, the Sierra Nevada, and Mount Whitney. Therefore this map shows all divide lines leading to out-of-state peaks with greater than 2000' of prominence.
This prominence map includes a couple of new features that previous maps have not. It is the first to use color-coding to visually illustrate the hierarchy of the peaks and divide lines. Additionally, all the peak nodes feature mouse rollovers. Give it a try! You'll see the peak's name, its prominence, and its rank within Colorado. If you click the peak nodes, you'll be taken to John Kirk's website where you'll find even more information about these peaks.
I didn't anticipate all the small, personal discoveries I'd make while creating this map. Here's one example: follow the red divide lines that roughly encircle Rio Blanco County in northwest Colorado. In between them lies the White River as it heads from its source in the Flat Tops west into Utah. The northern divide line separates the White from the Yampa River, while the southern line represents the crest of the Roan Plateau, which divides the White from the Colorado River. Only after all this did I reflect upon the translation of Rio Blanco. The county comprises almost the entire White River watershed!
I hope that you, too, will take something new from your exploration of Colorado's divide tree!
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