Mount Bethel is a prominent Front Range peak west of Denver, rising above the headwaters of Clear Creek near the Continental Divide and overlooking the Interstate 70 corridor by the Eisenhower Tunnel. Its steep slopes climb sharply from the valley and are lined with snow fences to help reduce avalanche danger to the highway below. The mountain’s runoff feeds the South Platte River system, and its high elevation creates an alpine subarctic climate with snowy winters and frequent summer storms. Once called Little Professor, it was officially renamed in 1926 for botanist and forest pathologist Ellsworth Bethel and remains both a familiar landmark and a hiking destination.