Wheeler Mountain is set on the Continental Divide 4.5 miles (7.2 km) west-northwest of Hoosier Pass. It is part of the Mosquito Range which is a subrange of the Rocky Mountains. It ranks as the 150th-highest peak in Colorado.[3] The summit is in Summit County, however the southwest and southeast slopes lie within Lake and Park counties, respectively. The mountain is located 9 miles (14 km) south-southwest of the community of Breckenridge on land managed by Arapaho National Forest and Pike National Forest. Precipitation runoff from the mountain's west slope drains into Clinton Creek; the southeast slope drains into Wheeler Lake thence to the Middle Fork South Platte River; and the northeast slope drains to the Blue River via Monte Cristo Creek. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 1,970 feet (600 m) above Clinton Creek in one-half mile (0.80 km). The mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names.[4]
Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Wheeler Mountain is located in an alpine subarctic climate zone with cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers.[5] Due to its altitude, it receives precipitation all year, as snow in winter, and as thunderstorms in summer, with a dry period in late spring.
^Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen−Geiger climate classification". Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11. ISSN1027-5606.