Mount Elbert (14,440 ft (4,400 m)) is Mount Massive's nearest neighbor among the fourteeners it lies about 5 mi (8.0 km) south-southeast of the peak. Its name comes from its elongated shape: it has five summits, all above 14,000 ft (4,300 m), and a summit ridge over 3 mi (4.8 km) long, resulting in more area above 14,000 ft (4,300 m) than any other mountain in the 48 contiguous states, narrowly edging Mount Rainier in that category. It has more area above 14,000 ft than any other Colorado 14er. Survey member Henry Gannett is credited with the first ascent. The Massive Massif boasts underlying summits South Massive, North Massive, and Massive Green. Mount Massive was first surveyed and climbed in 1873 during the Hayden Survey of the American West. It ranks as the third-highest peak in the contiguous United States after Mount Whitney and Mount Elbert. Mount Massive edges out the third-highest summit of the Rockies, Mount Harvard, by 7 feet (2.1 m), but falls short of Mount Elbert by 12 feet (3.7 m). At 14,429ft., this 14er has several routes up to the summit but the southwest slopes is the shortest route and in my opinion, the most beautiful. The prominent 14,428-foot (4,398 m) fourteener of the Sawatch Range is located in the Mount Massive Wilderness of San Isabel National Forest, 10.6 miles (17.1 km) west-southwest (bearing 247°) of the City of Leadville in Lake County, Colorado, United States. Mt Massive via the Southwest slopes is an alternative route up the second highest mountain in Colorado. Colorados second tallest mountain boasts five. Mount Massive is the second-highest summit of the Rocky Mountains of North America and the U.S. Although Mount Elbert is 12 feet taller, it is Mount Massive that dominates the skyline west of Leadville.
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