The Sawatch Mountain in Central Colorado is old, approximately 25 million years old. This Mountain Range is extensive. It encompasses eight of the 20 highest peaks in the Rocky Mountains including the highest (Mt. Elbert- 14,439’) and the second highest (Mt. Massive- 14,427’). Neither mountain is hard as both are simple class-2 hiking trails. Sawatch is an Anglicized version of the Ute word, ‘Saguguachipa,’ which means "blue-green color," or "waters of the blue earth," a descriptive term for this "sea" of mountains. The small San Luis Valley town of Saguache takes its name from the Ute.  

The Sawatch stretches for roughly 100 miles in a N-S direction. While these mountains are generally known for their long approaches, good access and ease of accessibility, there are hidden pockets that offer more challenging terrain. There are 15 mountains/peaks in this range that rise above 14,000’. And I imagine this is largely due to the fact, that the Continental Divide divides a large portion of this range. Many river drainages call the Sawatch home like the Roaring Fork, Gunnison and Eagle. Campgrounds are plenty, nearby infrastructure is good and there is a lot of information out there on backcountry roads.  

There are sub-ranges like the well-known, Collegiates, Monarch Crest Area and the Holy Cross Wilderness Area which, is some of the more random, confusing forest in the state. Most people will cut their teeth in the Sawatch on the resident Fourteeners before launching into the harder ones in other ranges.

The range, because of its size and length, is usually divided into, or thought of as having three parts. The Northern Sawatch is lesser known. Generally smaller in size, this area contains Mt. of the Holy Cross and its namesake Wilderness. Also, the towns of Minturn, Vail and Redcliff are located here. The Central Sawatch is probably the most well-known. This is where the ‘Collegiate Mountains’ are located (Mt. Harvard, Mt. Yale, Mt. Princeton). This section encompasses over half of the whole range and includes towns like Leadville and Buena Vista. Then, there is the Southern Sawatch. This area contains the largest section of the Continental Divide and mountains like, Mt. Ouray, Shavano Peak and Methodist Mountain are found here. And of course, you can’t forget Monarch Ski Area.