# Sayres Benchmark

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**Sayres Benchmark** is a 13,746-foot (4,190-meter) mountain [summit](/source/Summit) in [Chaffee County](/source/Chaffee_County,_Colorado), [Colorado](/source/Colorado), United States.

## Description

Sayres Benchmark is located 3 miles (4.8 km) east of the [Continental Divide](/source/Continental_Divide) in the [Collegiate Peaks](/source/Collegiate_Peaks) which are a subset of the [Sawatch Range](/source/Sawatch_Range). The mountain is set on the boundary of the [Collegiate Peaks Wilderness](/source/Collegiate_Peaks_Wilderness) on land managed by [San Isabel National Forest](/source/San_Isabel_National_Forest).[1] The highest peak in Colorado and the Rocky Mountains, [Mount Elbert](/source/Mount_Elbert), is 7.46 miles (12.01 km) north-northeast of Sayres Benchmark, and the fifth-highest, [La Plata Peak](/source/La_Plata_Peak), is less than two miles to the northeast.[2] Sayres ranks as the 130th-highest summit in Colorado.[1] Precipitation runoff from the mountain's south slope drains into Clear Creek, whereas the north slope drains to Lake Creek, and both are tributaries of the [Arkansas River](/source/Arkansas_River). [Topographic relief](/source/Topographic_relief) is significant as the summit rises 2,950 feet (899 m) above North Fork Clear Creek in 1.5 miles (2.4 km). An ascent of Sayres involves 10 miles of hiking with 3,500-feet of elevation gain.[3] In winter the peak offers excellent [ski mountaineering](/source/Ski_mountaineering) on its rugged north face.[4]

## Climate

According to the [Köppen climate classification](/source/K%C3%B6ppen_climate_classification) system, Sayres Benchmark is located in an alpine [subarctic climate](/source/Subarctic_climate) zone with cold, snowy winters, and cool to warm summers.[5] Due to its elevation, it receives precipitation all year, as snow in winter and as thunderstorms in summer, with a dry period in late spring. Climbers can expect afternoon rain, hail, and lightning from the seasonal monsoon in late July and August.

## Gallery

## See also

- c. Mountains of Chaffee County, Colorado
- [Thirteener](/source/Thirteener)

## References

1. ["Sayres Benchmark - 13,746' CO"](https://listsofjohn.com/peak/157). *listsofjohn.com*. Retrieved July 11, 2023.

1. "Sayres Benchmark, Colorado". Retrieved July 11, 2023.

1. Mike Garratt, Bob Martin (1984), *Colorado's High Thirteeners*, Johnson Books, ISBN 9780917895395, p. 39.

1. Ben Conners, Brian Miller, *Climbing and Skiing Colorado's Mountains: Over 50 Select Ski Descents*, Rowman & Littlefield (2020), ISBN 9781493046737, p. 175.

## External links

- [National Geodetic Survey data sheet](https://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/ds_mark.prl?PidBox=KL0812)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sayres Benchmark](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sayres_Benchmark) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sayres_Benchmark?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.