Mount Zirkel is the highest summit in the Park Range of the Rocky Mountains, rising to 12,185 feet in northern Colorado within the Mount Zirkel Wilderness of Routt National Forest. About 25.9 miles north-northeast of Steamboat Springs, it stands on the Continental Divide between Jackson and Routt counties. As the top point of the Park Range, it gives the surrounding high country much of its prominence, and its location on the divide adds geographic importance by marking the crest between major drainage systems. Named for German geologist Ferdinand Zirkel, the peak remains a defining landmark of this rugged, remote protected alpine landscape.