There's a new 'shortest 14er': Data shows iconic Colorado peaks not as tall as once thought

Colorado's iconic fourteeners just got a little bit shorter – but they didn't shrink, measuring abilities just improved. And while all of the state's 14,000-foot mountains retained their status on the list, there's a new 'shortest fourteener peak.'

The new official elevations of Colorado's fourteeners come from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Geodetic Survey and they were determined using two pieces of data – airborne LiDAR data to get a raw ellipsoidal height and then a number of available geoid models to convert those ellipsoidal heights into orthometric heights. The study was also able to provide uncertainty estimates in measuring for the first time, which fell between about six to eight centimeters.

In general, the new measurements revealed that the true elevation of most peaks was between one and two feet, though some reached into that three-foot-drop range.

“We were quite relieved to find that we didn’t lose any,” said physicist Derek van Westrum. “Coloradans love their Fourteeners. I was pretty sure we were going to get a lot of grief!”

The biggest shakeup revealed by the new data was Huron Peak dropping in rank to be considered the lowest-lying fourteener summit in the state. Previously, that title was held by Sunshine Peak. Mt. Belford also dropped below Mt. Princeton, San Luis Peak and North Maroon Peak dropped below Wilson Peak, and Mt. Lindsey dropped to the same height as Culebra.

It's also worth noting that the once-measured 13,997-foot Grizzly Peak is actually only 13,994.3 feet, putting it a bit farther from the fourteener benchmark than was previously thought.

Check out all of the changes below – for 14ers, plus two 13ers that are close to 14er status. Note that old elevations (coming from 14ers.com) are rounded to the nearest foot, while new elevations are not. This can impact the 'change in elevation' calculation.

1. Mt. Elbert : Old elevation: 14438 feet ; New elevation: 14437.6 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -0.4
2. Mt. Massive : Old elevation: 14427 feet ; New elevation: 14423.9 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -3.1
3. Mt. Harvard : Old elevation: 14424 feet ; New elevation: 14421.7 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -2.3
4. Blanca Peak : Old elevation: 14350 feet ; New elevation: 14348.5 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -1.5
5. La Plata Peak : Old elevation: 14344 feet ; New elevation: 14343 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -1
6. Uncompahgre Peak : Old elevation: 14318 feet ; New elevation: 14315.8 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -2.2
7. Crestone Peak : Old elevation: 14299 feet ; New elevation: 14296.8 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -2.2
8. Mt. Lincoln : Old elevation: 14293 feet ; New elevation: 14290.6 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -2.4
9. Grays Peak : Old elevation: 14275 feet ; New elevation: 14275.5 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): 0.5
10. Castle Peak : Old elevation: 14274 feet ; New elevation: 14272.3 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -1.7
11. Torreys Peak : Old elevation: 14272 feet ; New elevation: 14270.1 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -1.9
12. Quandary Peak : Old elevation: 14272 feet ; New elevation: 14269.9 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -2.1
13. Mt. Antero : Old elevation: 14271 feet ; New elevation: 14269 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -2
14. Mt. Blue Sky : Old elevation: 14268 feet ; New elevation: 14266.1 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -1.9
15. Longs Peak : Old elevation: 14259 feet ; New elevation: 14255.9 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -3.1
16. Mt. Wilson : Old elevation: 14256 feet ; New elevation: 14254.1 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -1.9
17. Mt. Cameron : Old elevation: 14248 feet ; New elevation: 14245.9 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -2.1
18. Mt. Shavano : Old elevation: 14230 feet ; New elevation: 14228.3 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -1.7
19. Mt. Princeton : Old elevation: 14200 feet ; New elevation: 14200.1 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): 0.1
20. Mt. Belford : Old elevation: 14202 feet ; New elevation: 14199.6 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -2.4
21. Mt. Yale : Old elevation: 14200 feet ; New elevation: 14197 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -3
22. Crestone Needle : Old elevation: 14196 feet ; New elevation: 14194.8 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -1.2
23. Mt. Bross : Old elevation: 14178 feet ; New elevation: 14177.9 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -0.1
24. El Diente Peak : Old elevation: 14175 feet ; New elevation: 14173.2 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -1.8
25. Kit Carson Peak : Old elevation: 14167 feet ; New elevation: 14165.2 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -1.8
26. Maroon Peak : Old elevation: 14163 feet ; New elevation: 14161.5 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -1.5
27. Tabeguache Peak : Old elevation: 14158 feet ; New elevation: 14157 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -1
28. Mt. Oxford : Old elevation: 14158 feet ; New elevation: 14156.3 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -1.7
29. Mt. Sneffels : Old elevation: 14155 feet ; New elevation: 14153.3 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -1.7
30. Mt. Democrat : Old elevation: 14154 feet ; New elevation: 14152.3 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -1.7
31. Capitol Peak : Old elevation: 14138 feet ; New elevation: 14136.3 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -1.7
32. Pikes Peak : Old elevation: 14109 feet ; New elevation: 14107 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -2
33. Snowmass Mountain : Old elevation: 14105 feet ; New elevation: 14101.7 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -3.3
34. Windom Peak : Old elevation: 14089 feet ; New elevation: 14087 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -2
35. Mt. Eolus : Old elevation: 14087 feet ; New elevation: 14085 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -2
36. Challenger Point : Old elevation: 14086 feet ; New elevation: 14084.6 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -1.4
37. Mt. Columbia : Old elevation: 14075 feet ; New elevation: 14072.6 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -2.4
38. Missouri Mountain : Old elevation: 14071 feet ; New elevation: 14069.2 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -1.8
39. Humboldt Peak : Old elevation: 14068 feet ; New elevation: 14066.6 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -1.4
40. Mt. Bierstadt : Old elevation: 14066 feet ; New elevation: 14064.5 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -1.5
41. Sunlight Peak : Old elevation: 14061 feet ; New elevation: 14059 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -2
42. Handies Peak : Old elevation: 14058 feet ; New elevation: 14055.9 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -2.1
43. Ellingwood Point : Old elevation: 14057 feet ; New elevation: 14054.9 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -2.1
44. Culebra Peak : Old elevation: 14053 feet ; New elevation: 14053.2 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): 0.2
45. Mt. Lindsey : Old elevation: 14055 feet ; New elevation: 14053.2 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -1.8
46. Mt. Sherman : Old elevation: 14043 feet ; New elevation: 14040.4 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -2.6
47. North Eolus : Old elevation: 14042 feet ; New elevation: 14039.8 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -2.2
48. Little Bear Peak : Old elevation: 14041 feet ; New elevation: 14039.5 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -1.5
49. Redcloud Peak : Old elevation: 14037 feet ; New elevation: 14036 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -1
50. Condundrum Peak : Old elevation: 14037 feet ; New elevation: 14034.7 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -2.3
51. Pyramid Peak : Old elevation: 14029 feet ; New elevation: 14027.1 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -1.9
52. Wilson Peak : Old elevation: 14021 feet ; New elevation: 14020.4 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -0.6
53. San Luis Peak : Old elevation: 14023 feet ; New elevation: 14020.2 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -2.8
54. North Maroon Peak : Old elevation: 14022 feet ; New elevation: 14019.9 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -2.1
55. Wetterhorn Peak : Old elevation: 14021 feet ; New elevation: 14018.9 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -2.1
56. Mt. of the Holy Cross : Old elevation: 14007 feet ; New elevation: 14005.2 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -1.8
57. Sunshine Peak : Old elevation: 14004 feet ; New elevation: 14004.5 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): 0.5
58. Huron Peak : Old elevation: 14006 feet ; New elevation: 14004.1 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -1.9
59. Grizzly Peak : Old elevation: 13997 feet ; New elevation: 13994.9 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -2.1
60. Sunlight Spire : Old elevation: 13996 feet ; New elevation: 13994.3 feet ; Change in elevation (in feet): -1.7

While these elevation changes are due to a change in the way peak height is measured, peaks can actually shrink and grow over time due to a number of factors, including erosion and uplift (read more about that here).

That said, hikers shouldn't fear their favorite fourteener getting unbearably tall or withering away any time soon. Changes tend to be so slow and minuscule that they mostly go unnoticed. And if those changes ever become so obvious that they're altering hiking trails on a massive scale, Earthlings will probably have bigger problems to worry about.

Read more about the recent study that changed official peak elevations here.